It's Worth The Troubles
by NightDuchess
Summary: Both of them did not expect this. More over Shikamaru. What’s Temari gotta do? This one, not even Dai Kamaitachi No Jutsu could handle…
1. At The Beginning

IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLES

By ardenilia

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns Uzumaki Naruto & Company. I'm just a newbie, have much to learn and owns an average life.

Author's Note: This is the not the first fic I've written, but yet the first one I've posted on So, minna-san, please be kind and I'm looking forward to receive constructive criticisms and ideas, and no flames please! I'm emotionally incapable of receiving any heartless remarks. - Hope you'd give this multiple chapters story a shot….alrite?

Summary: Both of them did not expect this. More over Shikamaru. What's Temari gotta do? This one, not even Dai Kamaitachi No Jutsu could handle…

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**Part 1 : At The Beginning**

"Welcome back, everyone. And, well done on the mission," exclaimed the Sixth in a very deep, serious tone. "I hope to hear a good report of this mission. After all, it's an S-Rank."

His gaze was fixed towards the three Jounins in front of him. His eyes landed on the first one, who happened to be a member of his family. Oh, reverse that, he became a member of this guy's family. With the bloodline limit of Byakugan, Hyuuga Neji was indeed one of the most fearsome shinobi in Konoha.

Then, the blue sky orbs moved to the direction of obviously, the tallest one between the four of them in the room. He had a quite interesting history with this guy. They fought against each other during their first Chuunin exam, some time before the attempt of invasion towards Konoha. With his well-built features and the trademark tattoo of the Inuzuka Clan on his cheeks, Kiba had been known as one of the Jounins with great techniques involving beasts.

And finally, he settled on the third one. He was blessed with a lean and strong masculine features and not forgetting the smug expression on his face. Heck, this guy is the first one of their class to be promoted to Chuunin. Despite of his laziness, he's one exceptional ninja. Gifted with an IQ of above 200, Nara Shikamaru had inherited his father's skills and glory of the shadow controlling clan. And, the Hokage himself had been on the latter's first mission as a Chuunin; the Uchiha Sasuke's retrieval mission.

He sighed. 'This brings back old memories'. But, Uzumaki Naruto couldn't help but feel proud of what they have achieved in their lives. They had been friends ever since their days as Genins.

"Err…thank you, Hokage-sama" Kiba said, with a serious expression on his face.

Dead silence.

And it goes for the next 25 seconds…

Suddenly, the blonde haired Hokage raised his hands up in the air and said, "Time out! I can't do this anymore." With that, he broke into his trademark grin.

"Chill out, you guys can't be THAT serious with me", exclaimed Naruto. Obviously, he's into the 'ole-good-Naruto mode that we all know. Loud-mouthed, not-so-serious and always with a smile on his face.

"Well, you're now the Hokage," blurt a very confused Kiba, but nevertheless with a grin on his face.

With that, everyone broke into laughter; even the stoic looking Neji couldn't hide the hints of amusement on his face.

"You should have seen the look on your face. It's so hilarious."

"Oh, you're so gonna get it" Kiba said as he lunged towards the laughing Naruto, hands ready to strangle his neck. But, Shikamaru quickly grabbed hold of the brown haired Jounin on both shoulders.

"Jeez, you guys haven't changed at all. This is so troublesome." Sighed Shikamaru as he pose a glance at Neji, who is now smiling with his arms crossed.

"Grow up Naruto. And to think that you're going to be a father soon." Kiba said.

"So?"

"I hope my future nephew won't grow a retard like his father" Neji said, while he patted Naruto at the back, in a very sympathetic look.

"Oi, who are you calling a retard?" Naruto glared at Neji.

And then Kiba butt in, "I felt sorry for Hinata."

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An audible sound of water flowing from the kitchen was heard, as two children were running down the hallway of the Nara residence. Temari had finished washing the dishes when she heard one of the children's loud piercing shriek.

"Would you keep it down both of you!" Now, it's her piercing loud voice was heard. She made a few steps past the hallway towards the front door when a small girl, with golden locks tied into two ponytails ran into her, she nearly stumbled backwards but she quickly grabbed a hold on the child.

"Hikaru, what did I told you about running down the hallway?" Temari asked her 5 years old daughter. Her forehead wrinkled with annoyance.

"But mommy," Hikaru looked up to look at her mother, with a very sad expression on her face. "You told me that I should look after Kusanagi-chan. He said he's boring. We're playing tag."

And then, a dark plum-haired boy, a bit shorter than Hikaru appeared. Noticing that Hikaru was in their mother's arms, he said "Mommy. You're messing up the fun. Now, I'm still gonna be 'it'."

Temari's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, who said you could play tag inside the house? You're going to break something or even worse, hurt yourself."

Kusanagi sulked while Hikaru blinked her innocent doe-eyes, in an attempt to escape from Temari's lecture.

"Hikaru, you're the older sister, you should set a good example for your brother." She said towards her daughter. Then, she looked at her youngest son, who is still pouting his lips. "Kusanagi, I don't think it's appropriate for you to run around when you should be lying on bed at the first place. I can't believe that you're the same boy I dragged to the hospital this morning."

"I'm not sick anymore, mommy. I can't just stay on the bed. It's too troublesome."

'He's so like his father' Temari made a silent comparison.

"Why can't we go to Kenji's house? Aunt Tenten can look after us." The chirpy 4 year old suggested.

Temari knew that he's referring to Neji and Tenten's son who was the same age as he is. That boy had indeed become her son's best friend. And, it was very kind of Tenten in offering to baby sit the kids when she's out for a mission. And…realizing that she's getting distracted she quickly crossed her arms, "No. And Kusanagi, you're not going to get me distracted again this time."

Kusanagi narrowed his eyes. He put on his trademark scowl, just like his dad used to do when he was young. He hoped so much that Temari would fall for it, like she always did.

Temari sighed. 'Okay, this calls for a pep-talk.'

"Listen, both of you" She spoke in a softer and gentle tone. "It's not like I could have most of my weekdays off from a mission. And when I do, I hoped to spend a nice, quality and quiet time with my family. I'm sorry if I raised my tone before but, all this shouting, screaming and sometimes misbehaving makes me angry because I'm tired and I really want to try my best to do everything for you." Temari bent down on her knees as both kids, stepped towards her opening arms.

As she embraced them, both of them whispered in each of her ears saying, "We're sorry mommy." Temari gave them both a kiss on the top of their heads. "It's alright."

"Now, I think there's something else you could do to help me since you're feeling better already" She ruffled Kusanagi's hair, emitting a giggle from the cheeky boy. "Why don't you help me feed the fishes in the pond?"

"Alright!" exclaimed both of them in unison.

"Be careful not to get very near or you might fall" She call out as the two kids ran towards the pond which happens to be a few feet away from where she is standing.

'If Kankurou sees this he's probably laughing his head off.' Truth to be told, for the ones close to her, seeing the once fearsome Temari of the Sand had been outwitted by her own kids is totally an amusing picture. Laughing to herself, she quickly tried to wipe off a mental vision of her brother Kankurou grinning while saying, "I told you. Your days as the cranky, bossy and stuck-up human are outnumbered."

Yup, Kankurou was right. As she posed a glimpse towards her children, she knew that she could never be thankful enough for having both of them in her life. Both of them were an exact replica of each parent. Hikaru had the same strawberry blond hair as she does, with deep turquoise eyes and a cheeky expression on her face. She looked so much like her when she was little.

She remembered after a few weeks Hikaru was born, the first sentence that came out from Kankurou's mouth when he first saw his niece is, "Oh no. Another Temari in the family." And for that, he was rewarded with a large bump on his head. Compliments to the nearest flower vase of course.

"Baka. It's my baby. Of course she looks like me." She replied in a very amused tone as she looked at the beautiful baby girl in her arms.

"Ehem…" Shikamaru cleared his throat. "I think that I do have a share in her parenthood even though you're the one who carried her for nine months." He said with a smug expression on his face.

Dead silence. Everyone sweat-dropped.

He didn't realize that he'd pushed his wife's buttons until Kankurou crept up to him and slowly said, "I think you better run, man. Now, she's really getting mad."

Everyone broke into laughter as Shikamaru was trying hard to avoid a flying vase that headed straight to him.

"Jeez, women are so troublesome. I still don't understand you women, even when I'm married to one."

Then out of the blue, Neji sighed. "And, he's still haven't realize that he, being the only male in the family had been outnumbered."

Temari couldn't help but laughed at the reminiscence of her first born.

"What's so funny mommy?" She looked up to see Kusanagi's grinning face. "Nothing" She shook her head and just stare at her son as he threw some breadcrumbs into the pond.

Kusanagi had the same hair as his father, the same eyes, nose and lips. Well, except that his hair is still short, she couldn't tie it up like his dad.

No doubt, at the tender age of 2, Kusanagi had showed potentials of a genius. A child prodigy, as Naruto would say it. She remembered during the last dinner party at her house, believe it or not, the little boy managed to outsmart the Hokage himself at Shogi.

"What! I lost?" Howled a horrified Naruto, as he strained his eyes on the board.

"Haha…you did." Shikamaru said, with a smirk on his face. He was proud of his son who was sitting on his lap.

"It's not fair. You helped Kusanagi-chan."

"No, I did not. He did it by himself. Did I help him Kiba?" He asked Kiba who had been the audience before.

Kiba shrugged. "Hey, I'm not into this one. But, the kid beat you, Naruto. Fair and square."

"What! I can't believe I lose to a 4 year old." Naruto cried. "Very well then, I shall make you my apprentice"

"Ie…no you don't. Get your own son to be your apprentice."

"But…but, Hinata's only 3 months pregnant"

"Well, wait for the next 6 months then." Shikamaru argued with Naruto, before doing a high-five with Kiba and Kusanagi.

The women just broke into laughter upon seeing their husbands' antique.

It was great having friends like them. Temari herself did not believe that she had become close with the kunoichis of her batch like Sakura, Ino, the ever timid Hinata and the weapons mistress Tenten, who she fought during her first Chuunin exam preliminaries. Anyway, she was so glad that she becomes a part of Konoha. And all of that because of the Fifth Hokage's kindness in proposing an alliance between Sand and Konoha. And it all too thanks to her husband. Never believe all the verbal arguments, friendly sparring, misunderstandings and unintended flirting could lead to marriage.

And…suddenly, a pain shot through her head as she felt a throbbing deep inside. She closed her eyes as she grabbed hold of a nearby pillar. Her hands instinctively went to massage her temples. 'My head hurts like hell. Am I that tired?'

The next thing she knew, she felt like her stomach is twisted into knots and she ran quickly inside and threw up everything she had before for lunch into the kitchen sink.

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_End Of Chapter 1_

_To Be Continued…._

A/N: Please tell me what you think, okay? And, oh yeah, give a chance to ShikaTema loving.

Ja!

Love,

ardenilia


	2. Really Troublesome

IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLES

By ardenilia

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns Uzumaki Naruto & Company. I'm just a newbie, have much to learn and owns an average life.

Author's Note: This is the not the first fic I've written, but yet the first one I've posted on So, minna-san, please be kind and I'm looking forward to receive constructive criticisms and ideas, and no flames please! I'm emotionally incapable of receiving any heartless remarks. - Hope you'd give this multiple chapters story a shot….alrite?

Summary: Both of them did not expect this. More over Shikamaru. What's Temari gotta do? This one, not even Dai Kamaitachi No Jutsu could handle…

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**Part 2 : Really Troublesome**

The next night, the pub was filled with people, most of them men. Some of them are dressed in a Konoha ninja uniform, while most of them are common village folks. One of the few groups hanging out at the pub late evening was none other than the Hokage and his friends.

"Ahh…nothing could beat the taste of fresh beer after a few days out for a mission" Kiba said in a very contented mood, as he sipped some of the burning liquid down his throat.

Neji added, "The best part is, you could hang out with your friends and have a very good time."

"Yeah, just like always." Naruto grinned, as he fork some of his seafood ramen into his mouth. Since Hinata got pregnant, he had to spend on take away dinner or eat-in at the local restaurant because she could never get into the kitchen without feeling nauseous. Well, Naruto wouldn't give a damn at all since eating out means he could hang out with his friends and do guys stuff together. Besides, he wouldn't want Hinata to be troubled into cooking his dinner and stuffs.

"I haven't heard from Shino lately. How's he doing right now at the Mist?" Chouji asked, while munching on his third helping of tempura.

"He's doing okay, I think. He's expected to come back some time around next week." Kiba replied.

"Did you hear that…" One asked towards the others.

So, they were talking about their previous mission and their other friends' latest news, when Chouji realized that Shikamaru had been quiet from the start despite of staring at the table as if he could bore holes onto it.

"Yo, Shikamaru" He patted once on his best friend's shoulder. "Is anything bothering you?"

"Huh?" Shikamaru blinked. He realized that Neji, Kiba, Naruto and Chouji were looking at him with quizzical looks on their faces.

"What? Sorry. I spaced out just now" He said as one of his hands subconsciously went to support one side of his face.

"Is anything wrong? It's like your mind is at some place else." Chouji asked again.

"What's matter, Shikamaru? Can't wait to get your hands on Temari again tonight huh?" Kiba asked, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Everyone broke into a small laughter, including Shikamaru.

"More like, I don't want to see her, at least for tonight. If I do, she' going to shred me into pieces."

Their laughter died.

"Anou…did you guys have a fight or something?"

"I don't know. This afternoon, I went back home and the kids greeted me. I wanted to tell her that I'll be heading to the bar with you guys and I'll be dropping the kids at Neji's house. But, she said that I don't care about her or the kids, and I'm being an insensitive ass, and she goes on and on complaining about how tired she was. It's so troublesome."

"Hmm…" Neji interrupted him. "What happened to her? I mean, if I didn't know Temari better, it's not a wonder if she acted like that. For me, Tenten seems to be quite cool with staying at home to look after the kids."

"Well, exactly. It's like she's being jumpy and ultra sensitive all of a sudden. And to top of that, she threw off a fit in front of the kids last night. That's why I think it's better if I send the kids away to their friends' house, than with her. I knew Temari; she can tear down the house if she wants too." Shikamaru said, a note of confusion in his tone.

"Well, as your friend, I suggest you sort things out between you and your wife. When she told you those things today, what did you do?" Chouji asked.

"I…it…it was too troublesome. I just couldn't stand there and let her say whatever she wants to say. That's why I just walked out of the door because I want her to cool down a little bit."

Neji sighed. "It wasn't a very smart thing to do, genius"

Shikamaru's eyes went wide at his friend's comment. "What do you suggest I do back then?"

"You could have stayed and just listen to what she wants to say. If you remember, our last mission occupied us for two weeks, and Temari had to do everything while you're gone. Women, sometimes you just need to listen, and then they'll be okay." Neji assured him.

"Yeah." Kiba agreed. "In this situation, it's better for you to have a talk with your wife, work things out and don't worry about the kids. They can stay at my house for awhile, I'm sure my kids will be happy to have some friends coming over." He grinned while giving Shikamaru a concern pat on the back.

Shikamaru gave a weak nod before muttering, "Thanks guys"

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'Damn you Shikamaru' Temari's heart screamed out loud as another prune was popped into her mouth. Her body was lying helplessly on the couch, her shoulders heaved up and down as she tried to suppress her tears from flowing heavier and heavier.

She sobbed uncontrollably before sipping on the hot chocolate that she placed on the coffee table before. She had never felt so weak and vulnerable before. 'It's his entire fault. I never meant to nag him or anything. I just wanted his attention. If only he didn't leave then I would not be so mad. Why can't he stay at home for a few days?' She said to herself as she pinched the pillow on her lap, leaving traces of frustration marks on the cover.

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It was around 2 am when Shikamaru reached his front door. When he opened the door to his bedroom, he saw the silhouette of his wife, lying flat on the bed with her golden tresses spread on the pillow, half covering her face.

As he crept slowly into the bed, he noticed that there were traces of tears on Temari's face. At that instant, he felt a big pang of guilt in his heart, as he knew that he had hurt Temari's feelings and broke her heart.

'I'm sorry, koibito'

He moved on to her side and caressed her slightly plump cheeks. 'Hmm…I just left her for a few weeks, but it seems she's been putting on some weight' Shikamaru mused to himself. But, as quickly the thought came, it quickly disappeared as he placed his arm on her body and embraced her tenderly. Temari woke up to the feeling of warmth beside her.

"Shika-kun?" Her voice sounded tired and meek.

"I'm home" He said as he planted a soft peck on her cheek. It was a few seconds of bliss and peace until Temari's body shot up, with her right hand covering her nose.

"You've been at the bar haven't you?"

"Yes I did. I don't see anything wrong with that"

"You've been drinking all night and wasting your time at the bar until…what time is it?" She stole a glance from the digital clock perched on the nightstand. "TWO in the morning?"

"Temari, I just hanged out with the guys and had a few drinks. Besides, it's not that something I haven't done before. You were okay with it all this time and why did it matters to you right now, all of a sudden?"

"Did it never occur in your smart-brained head that you have a wife waiting for you at home? And, where are the kids? Did the alcohol clog your brain until you can't even remember to bring them home!" Her voice was raised a note higher.

"With you shouting all the time, I'm glad I left them at Neji's house instead!"

"Are you telling me that I'm a lousy mother!"

"No I did not. Why did you have to keep misunderstanding what I've said?" He paused as he tried taking a few breaths. "Please calm down, Temari. Jeez, this is so troublesome. Can't we just settle this in the morning, after both of our minds are cleared enough to make a decent conversation?"

"Fine. But don't you ever think of coming near the bed because you stink. I can't stand the smell. You're sleeping outside" She said while pointing towards the bedroom door.

"What? Oh, man…"

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_End Of Chapter 2_

_To Be Continued…._

A/N: Thanks for reading!

Ja!

Love,

ardenilia


	3. The Start Of All Troubles

IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLES

By ardenilia

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns Uzumaki Naruto & Company. I'm just a newbie, have much to learn and owns an average life.

Author's Note: This is the not the first fic I've written, but yet the first one I've posted on So, minna-san, please be kind and I'm looking forward to receive constructive criticisms and ideas, and no flames please!! I'm emotionally incapable of receiving any heartless remarks. - Hope you'd give this multiple chapters story a shot….alrite?

Summary: Both of them did not expect this. More over Shikamaru. What's Temari gotta do? This one, not even Dai Kamaitachi No Jutsu could handle…

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**Part 3 : The Start Of All Troubles**

The next morning, Shikamaru's deep slumber was disturbed by the sounds of clanking, battering and chopping from the kitchen. He pry open his bleary eyes, grunting in the process.

"Jeez, what is that troublesome woman up to now?" He shot a glance at the cuckoo clock perched high up the wall on his left. "4 O'clock?! Oh man, I only got two hours sleep for today." He stood up, shaking his head a few times, just to get himself over the drowsiness.

He was on his way towards the stairs, when he passed by the kitchen. He decided to take a look of what his wife was doing and leant against the doorjamb, his hand folded against his chest.

Temari was battering a buttery and creamy substance in a big plastic container, when she dashed across the kitchen to open the oven door, after taking a few seconds of observation; she went back to the battering. The smell of freshly baked blueberry muffins graced his sense for a few moments.

Looking back, it was like a whirlwind inside the place. It was quite an odd picture at the Nara household, for the Lady of The House was always a neat-freak. Everything from the wall to the floors to the counter-tops, heck even the doorknobs should be spotless. Everything's changing for this past few days and Shikamaru doesn't like it one bit.

"What are you doing, woman?" He asked in a monotonous tone, his onyx eyes fixed on the female in front of him.

"Gah!" Temari gasped in surprise, as she turned around, with one hand on her chest. "Just what do you think you're doing?! Sneaking up on me like that? How many times do I have to tell you, stop doing that. I swear I could've died of a heart attack." She hold on her quickened breath before it turned into a slow and steady motion.

"Jeez…" Shikamaru poked a finger inside one ear. "You don't have to be so damn noisy in the morning. I thought that I was the one who should be touchy since I only got 2 hours sleep. Thanks to you, I've got a headache and a back ache this morning. And, not to mention the loud wake-up call."

"Who told you to get wasted last night?"

"Hey, hey…are we getting into that again, woman?"

"You're the one who told me that we should discuss this in the morning. I've cleared my mind. Now, let's talk."

"Why are you being so jumpy all of a sudden? What is wrong with you?"

"Me? You're asking me what's wrong? You've been away from us in the last few weeks, and still you don't find staying at home is what you've missed the most."

"What? Don't talk in puzzles Temari." He sighed.

"Hah…and I thought you're the most intelligent person here." She stared back at him; exasperation visible in her eyes.

There was a deep silence for a few moments.

"This is about the missions, huh?" Shikamaru broke the silence. Temari just glowered at him in response. "You're upset that the missions took me away from you and the kids, right?" He advanced towards his wife in a few slow steps. "Temari, I'm not going away for a vacation or a joy-ride. Heh, it wasn't a very enjoyable thing for me to be someplace else, while in the same time, my family is a hundred miles away. I've got a million things in my mind when I'm on a mission. Are you and the kids okay? Is everyone safe? But most importantly, do you miss me?" He lifted her chin with his right hand and their eyes clashed. He could see she was biting the insides of her lips, a habit that has always been there since they were young.

"We promised that I'll be the one who'd take most of the missions so that you could stay at home and be with the kids, especially when they need us the most."

"…."

"You missed me so much, don't you? Why don't you say so earlier? We don't have to argue over nothing."

"…"

"Now, since the morning's still early, we still have time to make up for the last few weeks. Besides, Hikaru and Kusanagi aren't here…" His hands had made their way around her waist. As he lean forward to catch her slightly trembling lips, Temari pushed him away with great force.

"You useless bastard! You're still thinking to screw up your wife, even when she's extremely disappointed with you." She exclaimed incredulously at him.

"What?! You never use that tone to me, let alone use THAT word on me." Shikamaru scowled.

"Maybe…maybe I've had enough with your crap. Maybe I'm tired of being with someone who wasn't even there for me."

He shook his head in disbelief. "You've changed Temari. I don't like changes."

Realizing that her words had come out the wrong way, her voice softened. "Shika…I…" Her trembling hands reached forward to touch her husband, but he stepped back.

"You know what Temari? I've had enough of this troublesome conversation. Everything is so wrong with you." With the last of his sentence, he walked away from the kitchen, leaving a very miserable Temari behind.

She slammed her hands on the kitchen counter, as an act to vent out her frustration. "You good for nothing mouth"

'Itei…I hope I didn't ruin the muffins'

(A/N: Sorry, I had to put it in to reduce the tension !)

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Three hours later, Temari walked down the stairs clad in a lavender kimono made from silk, with drawings of red roses at the hem of the material, completed with a matching magenta obi and sash. While a silver butterfly hair pin on her hair which she put up in a bun did nothing to hide her flawless beauty.

Shikamaru was leaning against the long couch's hand rest while reading a book when he saw Temari walking towards the front door, a basket hanging on her hands. He swore he was still mad about their argument hours before, but the breathtakingly sight of his stunning wife had never failed to capture his heart. His grip on the book tightened, as he held on a breath.

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, you're still here? I thought that you'll be out already."

His grip on the book tightened even more. 'Damn, this woman'

"It seems I've made a lot of muffins this morning, I can't finish it on my own. So, I'll head over to see our friends and bring them my homemade muffins."

"Jeez, what's with the muffins?"

"Don't forget to pick up the kids from wherever you dropped them. Your breakfast is on the table."

"Hn…don't bother" He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Temari gave him a slightly hurt expression before she closed the front door behind her.

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"Good morning, Sakura-chan"

The pink-haired medic nin's head shot up from her office table upon hearing the greeting. Her mouth formed a big smile showing how delighted of her receiving the visitor.

"Good morning. Temari-san! Oh my goodness! What a surprise. Come on in."

"Am I interrupting something?" Temari asked as she stepped into the office.

"Oh no no…" Sakura dismissed her statement with a shook of her head. "It was a very slow morning, thank god you came here, if not I'm going to be bored to death" Sakura narrowed her eyes as she leant forward to speak in a hushed tone. "You know, the hospital is extremely quiet this morning, I thought that I was in a creepy TV show today"

Temari let out a small laugh for a few seconds before her lips formed a thin line. "You're always in a good humor, Sakura-chan"

Sakura giggled. "Let's just say that I've learnt that trait from that dear husband of mine. Oh yeah, and the dogs too."

Temari nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's good that Kiba-kun knows how to treat his wife right and to know that you're doing great."

"He better, if not I'm so gonna beat him senseless, until he begs for mercy." Both of them laughed at Sakura's joke. "Anyway, what brings you here?" Green emerald eyes met with turquoise-colored ones.

"I…just came by to give you some blueberry muffins. I baked a lot this morning. So, I dropped by at Hinata's house and Tenten's this morning, and then here I am. I went to Ino's before but she wasn't in." Temari pushed the basket towards Sakura.

"Oh, that was very nice of you Temari-san. It's a lovely surprise. I'm sure my kids would love them. It must've taken a lot of your time to make these cute and deliciously looking muffins. Are there any occasions?"

"Nah…I just felt like indulging my senses with homemade blueberry muffins this morning." Temari said, with a bitter smile on her face. Suddenly, her vision blurred for a few moments as the throbbing inside her head from the past few days came back again.

Sakura, realizing that Temari is uncomfortable, on impulse, touched her friend at her shoulder. Concern was vivid in her eyes. "Temari-san…are you okay?"

Temari just nodded her head weakly in response. "I'm just having a slight headache for the past few days. I guess, it must be something I ate."

"Have you thrown up before this?"

"Aa…once…no, twice."

"I see. Let me check your pulse for a moment Temari-san."

Temari put her hand forward for Sakura to hold. She placed two fingers on Temari's wrist, and silently counting her friend's heartbeat. "It seems that your heartbeats quite faster than normal"

Suddenly, she put the same hand on Temari's belly. Chakra could be seen flowing from her hands. Temari just looked at Sakura with a questioning expression on her face.

A few moments later, Sakura looked up to Temari, and laughed.

"Huh?"

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_End Of Chapter 3_

_To Be Continued…._

A/N: Thanks for reading. Tell me what you think?

Ja!

Love,

ardenilia


	4. Is This Worth It?

IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLES

By ardenilia

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns Uzumaki Naruto & Company. I'm just a newbie, have much to learn and owns an average life.

Author's Note: This is the not the first fic I've written, but yet the first one I've posted on So, minna-san, please be kind and I'm looking forward to receive constructive criticisms and ideas, and no flames please! I'm emotionally incapable of receiving any heartless remarks. - Hope you'd give this multiple chapters story a shot….alrite?

Summary: Both of them did not expect this. More over Shikamaru. What's Temari gotta do? This one, not even Dai Kamaitachi No Jutsu could handle…

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**Part 4 : Is This Worth It?**

"Naruto-sama, you called for me?" Temari asked the Sixth who was sitting behind a few stacks of paperwork on his table.

"Hai…Temari-san. I've got a letter from the Kazekage. It seems that there is currently an internal political crisis at their council. Your brother believed that there's a possibility that sooner or later, a civil war would ensue. He requested for Konoha's support if such possibility occurred. Just to be on the safe side."

"And, you want me to lead the team..."

"I thought that the best candidate to lead our representatives to the Wind country would be no one else but you."

"…."

"But, it's still optional. You may refuse the mission, if you think you're not in the best condition to do so."

"Could you give me some time to think over? Besides, I do have my children to think about."

Naruto grinned, probably thinking about little Kusanagi. "Of course. I do hope to receive your answers by tomorrow morning the latest, since the Kazekage will be expecting Konoha's rep four days from now."

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She glided across the streets of Konoha with ease, earning a few greetings from fellow citizens.

"Nara-sama, how are you doing?"

"You're looking good, Temari-san."

She quickly gave notice to them all with a smile and a swift wave of her hand. She needed to see her husband right away. She needed to tell him of the news she had today.

"_Huh? What happened? Why are you laughing Sakura-chan? It is food poisoning isn't it?" Temari's questions came out like spitting bullets towards the now flushed Medic nin._

"_Temari-san. I can't believe you still haven't figure out what happened to you. And, this came from someone who had been experiencing 'this' two times already!" Sakura squealed in amusement._

"_Two times?"_

"_Yup."_

"_You mean…"_

"_Uhuh…"_

"_Oh my god…" _

"_Yes, I know…Congratulations Temari-san. You're expecting! It's been three months now."_

"…" _Temari's mouth gapped open, her eyes wide showing her state of shock._

"_And, there's one more exciting news…"_

"_What?" 'Please tell me something else than this…'_

"_I sensed there are two heartbeats. You and Shikamaru are going to have twins. What a great surprise!" Sakura stood up, pulling Temari with her and she gave her the warmest but longest bear hug in the world. Temari's body went stiff after a few seconds._

"_Oh my FREAKIN' god!"_

"_Anou…Temari-san. Aren't you happy?"_

"_Huh? It's been a while since I had a baby. It just felt weird."_

"_Oh, nonsense. You've been the best mother to Hikaru-chan and Kusanagi-chan. I don't think there would be a problem with the baby this time….oops correction. The babies this time." Sakura gave Temari a playful but meaningful wink._

"_I guess."_

"_Now, make sure you don't do anything that requires a lot of strength. Make sure you eat more vegetables, fruits and more source of protein ok? Don't overdo the training. In fact, you're forbidden to take on any mission at all. The traveling won't do any good for the baby."_

_Temari sighed and nodded her head. _

'_That explains all the mood swings. No wonder I've been acting like an A-class bitch these past few days. Poor Shika.'_

"_Anou…Sakura-chan. Could please keep this news just between the two of us?"_

"_Yeah sure, but why keep it a secret?"_

"_I want to surprise Shika-kun."_

"_Aa…" Sakura nodded in understanding._

Temari couldn't help but grinned widely at recalling the moments before. She was totally ecstatic of knowing that she is going to be a mother again. A thousand kinds of thoughts swirled inside her mind as she looked down at her slightly inflated belly. 'I wonder if they're boys or girls? Hmm…by all means I have to find somebody else to take my place as one of the representatives to Suna tomorrow' She placed her hands on the front of her sash. 'I'll bet Hikaru and Kusanagi would be delighted. And, I think I'd like to see the look on your father's face when I tell him the news'

Suddenly, the smile on her face turned into a frown.

_About 8 years ago…_

_A boy and a girl was sitting side by side on the slope of a small grassy hill, enjoying the tranquil scenery. The wind was blowing gently and the sun's golden rays sheepishly shine at the area behind the puffs of white fluffy clouds._

"_The clouds are beautiful like always." The boy said to the blond girl beside her._

"_Yeah…" The girl stared at the clouds with sheer fascination. "Clouds are just like life itself. They just move on forward in one direction, letting the flow of wind become their guide towards the next destination."_

"_Hnn…" The boy shrugged._

"_Ne, Shikamaru. What's your destination in life?"_

"_Maybe…I want to live an average not too troublesome life. Be a so-so ninja with the position that pays okay, get married to girl who's not too ugly or not too beautiful, have two kids only, preferably a girl first then a boy, I'll retire when my daughter had settled down, my son's independent. Hopefully, I'll kick the bucket first before my wife."_

"…_I though that would be so troublesome…You can't always have the things that you wanted, you know."_

"_Hnn…I'm going to live my life exactly the way I planned. I'm not gonna change it. Because I hate changes. It's too troublesome."_

The fan wielder kunoichi couldn't restrain the inner voice inside her saying, 'Why do I have the feeling that you guys came at the wrong time?'

"Oh, all this reminiscing makes my head hurts." She sighed. At that moment, a green blur stopped right in front of her.

"Temari- san! OHAYO!"

"Gah!" This is the second time this day. 'Whoever this maniac is, I swear I'm gonna break his bone.'

And, that instant, the blur started to resolve into a face with a pair of very thick eye brows, round girly eyes, and a friendly smile plastered on the person's face. It was none other than the Green Beast of Konoha himself, Rock Lee.

"LEE-san!"

"Gomen, Temari-san. Didn't mean to startle you. What are you doing in town? Grocery shopping?"

"Heh…no. I visited Sakura-chan this morning…"

"Are you sick, Temari-san?" Signs of worry and concern were able to be seen on his face.

"Ie…nothing serious. How about you, Lee-san? Where are you from?"

"I just got back from a meeting with the Hokage. It seems that I've been assigned to escort Konoha's rep to Suna tomorrow."

"Oh, really? That's great to hear."

"Don't worry Temari-san. For I'll be doing my best to support Suna by all means necessary."

"Aa…I'll better go now. Have a nice day, Lee-san." She began to walk away from the nin before she had the chance of experiencing any of his 'Springtime of Youth' fever.

"Anou…Temari-san."

She turned her head back towards Rock Lee's direction, a quizzical look on her face.

"You looked beautiful than ever, Temari-san!"

Temari's face reddened upon hearing the shinobi's exclamation.

"Yosh…the springtime of youth never failed to reflect your extraordinary radiance, Temari-san" He ended the sentence with wide smile, and his trademark nice guy pose.

'Today's just my 'unlucky' day.' Temari sweat dropped.

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_End Of Chapter 4_

_To Be Continued…._

A/N: Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think, okay?

Ja!

Love,

ardenilia


	5. Some Things Change, Some Don't

IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLES

By ardenilia

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns Uzumaki Naruto & Company. I'm just a newbie, have much to learn and owns an average life.

Author's Note: Thanks A Bunch to my precious readers and especially reviewers. I knew it takes a lot of effort to convince my readers to review, and besides I've been one of the readers before, that's why I know how it feels. All I could say is; thank you for giving a new writer an inspiration and motivation to keep on writing. (although her writing is bad…hehe… -)

Summary: Both of them did not expect this. More over Shikamaru. What's Temari gotta do? This one, not even Dai Kamaitachi No Jutsu could handle…

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**Part 5 : Some Things Change, And Some Don't**

Temari was quite disappointed to find the house empty when she got back that afternoon. The wheels of her mind span around to think of the possible locations where Shikamaru might be. The bar? 'Nope, too early'. The academy? 'Couldn't be either, besides he passed up teaching months ago' or maybe…

Her lips form a smile when it suddenly hit her. How could she totally forgotten about it all this time. She quickly walked towards a certain destination, gracefully avoiding collision with other passers-by.

After 10 minutes, she arrived at the place. It was a lush greenery field, with a wide area of dandelions swaying to the rhythm of the warm afternoon zephyr. How on earth could she ever forget this place before? For goodness sake, this was the place they used to hang out together and in times colored with verbal arguments and stolen glances, the place where he accidentally confessed his feelings for her, the place that witnessed their first kiss and his wedding proposal on her 21st birthday.

Her face grew warm at the bittersweet memories that such simple environment could hold. She took careful steps forward, as she came upon a small grassy mound. She let out a small laugh as she remembered that it is the exact same spot where they used to lie together, watching the clouds, and this is the location where she had told him the greatest news in his life, twice.

_He laid his head on her lap, enjoying the comfort it provides. 'This is just like heaven, cloud gazing on a lazy afternoon with the most wonderful and beautiful person in the world'. His heart pondered to himself. In the same time, a pair of onyx orbs stole glances at the said person. Her eyes reflected the serenity that he felt at that moment. _

"_Heh…getting married wasn't such a troublesome thing at all" He muttered under his breath. Among the rookie nine and genins of his batch that he knew, he was the first one to get married at the tender age of 18. Foolish and brash as it may seem, getting hitched early was something that is expected of the traditional Nara heir. _

_There are a lot of factors supporting the notion; he just got promoted to Jounin and that's the highest he hoped to achieve, besides that, he and Temari loved each other very much and he doesn't want to bother with having an uncertain long-distance relationship between Suna and Konoha. Apart from that, he realized that if he does not act fast enough, he'll certainly lose the girl he loved to the prying suitors, lining up for her in Sunagakure. _

_On the other hand, his friends say that it's "the hormones talking" while his parents just nodded in understanding, for they are fully aware of whom Temari is and their situation together. His sensei, Asuma, just shrugged when he told him the news. He acted coolly but he was rather shocked upon receiving the news that his former student is ready to settle down, at such a young age. Heck, he himself is 33 and still a swinging bachelor. _

_Gai-sensei? Well, the spandex-clad teacher just gave Shikamaru the nice-guy pose while rambling on and on about the "Springtime Youth of Love". He wouldn't stop until Shikamaru was afraid he might 'jinx' his wedding. Thanks to Kakashi-sensei who stylishly congratulated him, switching Gai-sensei from "Springtime Youth" mode to muttering "Eternal Rival" crap. Oblivious to everyone, Kakashi-sensei even slipped a latest copy of "Come Come Paradise" into his hands, while whispering "Sort of a wedding gift". Right before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, he said out loud to Shikamaru and loud enough for the others to hear, "It might come in handy on your wedding night!" Shikamaru was stunned, before his skin turned a deep shade of crimson, earning roars of laughter from everyone. 'Damn, I'll kill that pervert for helping too much'_

_And true, they were married for six months now, and still marriage life did not differ much from his bachelor days. He could still enjoy what he loved most, despite of having someone to nag him apart of his mom after he moved out from his parents' house. And, the best part is, he had find his other half and had become one with her. The only thing that matters right now is that they are finally together. Just the two of them. No one else._

_Well, that is until that afternoon…_

_Soft, tender and slightly-callused hand stroked softly on his dark-plum hair. "Shika…" _

"_Hmm…?" _

"_What if…I tell you that there's someone else between us?" Her question came nonchalantly._

_His head shot up impulsively, eyes wide opened, obviously flabbergasted at her revelation. "What!" He shrieked. By looking at his response, Temari tried very hard to suppress a laugh. Who knew a guy could shriek? And a married one at that. _

"_What do you mean with there's someone else? Are you seeing someone? You're having an affair?" Eyes blinking furiously at the now laughing woman in front of him._

"_Why are you laughing Temari? This is not a joke. Jeez, we didn't even reach our first anniversary." He was on the verge of breaking down, when Temari's hands went up to cup his face as she gaze deeply into his restless eyes._

"_How could you Temari? What have I done wrong? I really love you" His voice sounded a little bit shaken, his lips trembling fretfully._

_Deep inside, the man that she married is still a young boy. The insecurities and uncertainty were there._

"_And, I love you too."_

"_But, I still refuse to lose you to someone else…"_

"_Not even our baby?"_

"_Huh?"_

_Her right hand went down to hold one of his hands and placed it on her flat belly. She leant forward and whispered at his left ear._

"_Congratulations Shika-kun. You're going to be a daddy"_

**_Exactly two years later…_**

_A very heavily pregnant Temari, 6 months to be exact was walking towards the same spot with little Hikaru in her arms. It seems that she was holding something like a blue card in her small, fragile hands._

"_There you are birthday boy…" Temari greeted as soon as the figure of her husband reached the range of her vision._

_Shikamaru's head tilted from it's position on the grassy surface, a smug grin graced his well-toned face as he identified the faces of his visitor. _

"_Hey…don't you think I'm a little too old for that wish?"_

"_You just turned 21 but you're already acting like a 50 year old man, Shika dear. Besides, Hikaru has something for you. Don't spoil her mood." She said in a sweet tone, laced with 'hidden' messages like "don't-you-ever-dare-try-to-ruin-Hikaru's-mood-or-I'll-beat-you-into-a-bloody-pulp". _

_Shikamaru wasn't a genius for nothing. He surely got the hint. Cold sweats started to form on his forehead, as he put on a silly grin instead._

"_Hey little princess, what do you got there for daddy?" He thrust his hand forward as his one year old daughter slowly put the blue colored card on his hand. Colorful smudges of crayons were smothered on the surface. A stick figure who looked unmistakably like him, obviously from the drawing of the pineapple-styled hair and a dark Jounin uniform, laying flat on his back, watching word-shaped clouds. The clouds formed a "Happy Birthday Daddy" sentence. _

"_Did you do it by yourself?" He asked the little girl, eyes warily fixed at his wife, who pretended to be interested in fixing her hair. "What?" Her wife snapped at him. He just arched one of his brows in a curious manner. Temari rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, I did help her draw, but she did all the coloring." He just smirked as he planted a kiss on Hikaru's forehead. "Thank you sweetheart. You're an angel."_

_He stole a glance at his captivating wife. "So, what does mummy have for daddy?"_

"_Nothing." The expecting mother just shrugged in return. _

"_What do you mean nothing?"_

"_I already gave you two kids."_

"_That is not considered as a gift, woman. They are called blessings and responsibilities."_

"_Oh, really? I went to see Hinata-chan this morning and guess what?"_

"_Oh joy. Naruto finally has the guts to propose to her?" He replied blandly._

"_No, you bum. She checked on me and she found out that we are going to have a son."_

"_Really? You know, this is the best birthday present I ever had. I finally achieved another one of my dreams. A girl and then a boy. I really won't ask for more." He said as he showered her porcelain-like face with long, warm kisses. _

"_Then, I don't see why I need to give you your present tonight then?" _

"_I thought you said…" _

_Temari just responded by grinning slyly._

"_Oh…okay. You're one demanding woman, you know."_

"_I know. That's why you love me." _

The sounds of laughing children brought her back to reality. She looked around and searched the parameter for the source of the sound, when her eyes spotted two little blonde girls, smaller than Hikaru running around another area filled with daffodils, picking up the flowers one by one.

'Isn't that Ino and Shino's twin daughters?' Temari asked to herself. Just as she was advancing towards the girls, she heard the voices of a woman and a man talking. She quickly turned around and lean against the nearest tree in sight.

'If the girls are here, then Ino or Shino must be here'

She's not the type of person who likes to eavesdrop on other people's conversation, so she decided to believe that Shikamaru wasn't here form the first place and that she might be disturbing a family outing. Just as she was about to leave, she heard her name was mentioned vividly. No mistake. 'What the hell?'

Cursing silently, she walked slowly and closer towards the couple. As she found a spot, not too far until she couldn't hear and yet, not too near till her presence can be sensed.

"Are you sure? I mean, Temari must have her reasons to be acting like that." The woman asked her companion.

"Pretty much. This thing is giving me a headache. Who knows, I might die sooner because of this stress." An unambiguously familiar voice responded.

"Stop whining, Shikamaru. It's normal for every married couple to have problems. All you needed to do is have a good communication, that's all."

"Yeah, yeah Ino. All you guys said the same thing. But this is different. Temari is changing. She's being someone else."

"Just give her some space of her own. We, women need our own time to do the things we love ourselves."

"…I guess you're right Ino. It felt nicer, talking to you."

"Hey, what are best friends for? Besides, I want to thank you for your company this afternoon. Sometimes, it's hard to deal with a pair of growing twins on my own."

"Don't worry, although I admit it could be one troublesome thing to keep an eye on both at the same time. Just lending a hand till Shino gets back here next week."

The short conversation told a thousand things to Temari.

She walked all the way home, looking like her life had been sucked dry. On the way, she dropped by at Tenten's and picked up HER kids. As they walked hand in hand together, Temari wondered which one hurts her the most? The fact that her husband spent the day with another woman's kids or the fact that he rather talked to that woman, who is also his best friend than her.

Heavy-heartedly, she came into one repulsive conclusion; she may be the wife and the mother of his children, but she could never take the place of his best friend.

'Confide in me, Shika'

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Later that night, dinner was a little bit awkward for the kids. Shikamaru had turned up late for dinner; something which he had never done before. And usually, their father would do all the talking while their mother would just fake a frown on her face, just to pretend that she didn't agree with him. But that night, it was quite the opposite. Temari had tried her best to put on a happy smile and start a conversation with Shikamaru, but all he did in response was nothing.

Hikaru and Kusanagi were a bit quiet, as if they could sense the tension between their mom and dad. It was a very cold night indeed, and it wasn't the temperature outside.

After tucking both of the kids to sleep, Temari headed straight to her bedroom. She saw the silhouette of her husband standing tall against one of the windows beside the king-sized bed. Shikamaru's tall, strong and well-built physique stood like a statue. His broad shoulders heaved as he drew out a long breath and sighed. Her eyes were instinctively glued to the Jounin symbol at the back of his vest, before moving on to embrace the image of her husband lovingly, and that is with her eyes only. Something stirred inside her. She couldn't deny that she badly and truthfully missed him very, very much. She missed the warmth of his touch, the gentleness of his words and the look of love and sheer adoration when they were alone together. It's like another side of him that only she had a chance and the right to see. She felt his calming aura soothing every time he is near. However right now, there was nothing there but bleakness and it's killing her insides slowly but surely.

A chilling breeze made its way through the opening at the window, causing Temari to shiver and put her arms around herself just to gather some heat.

"I'm not going to ask you why you were late for dinner today." Her slow, calm voice resonated throughout the room as she made her way towards the bed. 'Oh, she knew alright what he did, where he goes today and who did he meet today'

"…"

"…"

"…" Still, no response.

"Shika, say something."

"We need to talk."

"I'm all yours. But, before you do, I have something very important to tell you…I don't know how to say this. I know you're not expecting this but sooner or later I have to tell you no matter what" She drew in a very long breath before she continued, "Shika, I'm pr…"

Without letting her finish her sentence, the now stoic and serious looking Shadow Controller cut her words in the middle as he spun around, eyes narrowed in sharp piercing gaze. "We need to take a break from each other."

"What?" She felt like her heart had stopped at the moment he spoke those words.

"Both of us need our own space. You need to cool down, and I need to reevaluate everything."

"Reevaluate what?"

"Our marriage."

"What? Our marriage is not a battlefield or one of our goddamn missions!" She scoffed sternly. This is not what she expected.

"We're not going to start fighting each other again...Jeez, you're delirious Temari. This is so troublesome."

"No…no, listen Shika, there's a reason why I've become like this…"

"Can we just be silent for tonight? I'm tired. So, please spare me from any negotiations." He posed a well-concealed longing glance at his wife before walking towards the door.

"I'll be at the office tonight. You should get some rest too."

"…You don't have to go. I accepted a mission from Naruto-sama. I'll be heading for Suna tomorrow morning."

"…"

"Don't worry about the kids, I'll place them under your mother's care. You just do what you had to do…I…just hoped that we could sort things out between us after I came back."

Without a word, Shikamaru just walked out from the room, leaving a very heartbroken wife behind.

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_End Of Chapter 5_

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Well, that's it. This is the longest chapter and possibly the most emotionally and mind straining one I've ever written. I just hope you guys would be able to understand their situation a lot better. Take care. See ya! R&R!

Love,

ardenilia


	6. Veiled Secrets & Emotions

IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLES

By ardenilia

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns Uzumaki Naruto & Company. I'm just an average teenager, trying to achieve great things as many as possible in life.

Author's Note: Special thanks to KpT Ogowa, Jewel Green (a very good friend/writer/listener), t3ddiE0x, Rama chan, fickadik, pookie, ambrose684, LaZyEnErGeTiC, '.Serene Panda." and Sankontessou. You guys are and will always be the best things that ever happened in my life. Thank you for giving me support from the first day I published my first story in Miraculously, this chapter had been finished earlier, so this one is for you guys.

Summary: Both of them did not expect this. More over Shikamaru. What's Temari gotta do? This one, not even Dai Kamaitachi No Jutsu could handle…

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**Part 6 : Veiled Secrets & Emotions**

It was around 9.00 am that morning when Konoha's representatives were getting ready to take flight to Sunagakure. The other members of the four men team had already arrived at the West Gate of Konoha, all geared up for the mission. Temari could see her team-mates Rock Lee and the grandson of the long departed Third Hokage, Konohamaru who had been a newly-appointed Chuunin stretching out nearby. It seems that the former teacher and student were very excited to embark on the latter's first mission as Chuunin.

"Lee-san, who are we waiting for?" She asked the now-bending Taijutsu master, trying to touch his toes with Konohamaru falling suit. "We're waiting for my former team-mate…"

'His former team-mate? Could it be Neji?' Temari let out a worried sigh. The last thing she wanted to do during this mission is to avoid the range of someone who could perform an x-ray vision, so as to prevent her condition from being discovered by anyone. And to top it off, the bloodline limit has 360 degrees coverage. 'Not good' Temari's heart beat two times faster. There's no way she could avoid Neji's questioning gaze if such things happened.

"Ohayo minna-san…" Came a soft, friendly greeting from behind them. They turned their heads around to see a couple approaching.

"Tenten?"

"Hai…Temari, Lee. Sorry we're late"

"Iie…you're just on time" Lee replied while his hands fixed his backpack while Konohamaru had found a comfortable position on one of the big rocks nearby, waiting agitatedly to take off.

"Neji-kun, remember to make sure that Kenji takes his vitamins every morning and gets his sleep on time. No late night snacks or extra candies for the boy, ok?" Tenten said slowly to her husband as they held each other in a deep embrace.

"Hai…don't worry, koi. I know. This is the 25th time you told me about it. You're starting to get me worried if I let you go today" Neji gave her a warm and reassuring smile as he slowly caressed the cascading veils of her dark brown locks.

Lee cleared his throat. "Sorry Neji, Tenten. I don't want to rob you of your precious moment but we need to keep track of our schedule"

Neji and Tenten broke their embrace on impulse, with an embarrassed expression on their face. "Sorry, Lee" Tenten grinned sheepishly as she glanced at the others and she was quite relieved to find out that everyone doesn't seem to be paying attention. However, unknown to her, Temari felt touched at their exchange before. She couldn't restrain the feeling inside her that had made itself known as jealousy. Yeah…Temari was jealous of the fact that Tenten had Neji to see her off while her own husband was nowhere to be seen.

"Yosh…minna-san. Let's go!" Lee gestured for everyone to collect themselves and ready to start their journey to Sunagakure.

"Lee…Please take good care of the girls" Neji said while standing firm with his arms crossed. "We put their safety in your hands…" His white pearly eyes that were fixed at his wife before had landed on Temari. "Shikamaru and I…" Temari's calm and controlled demeanor dropped suddenly. She clasped and unclasped her fidgeting hands with means to stop herself from bursting that moment, screaming at Neji asking him "Why the hell didn't he come here and told us himself?"

Thankfully, Lee broke her from the path to delving deep into her own disappointment. "Don't worry Neji. You have my word as a ninja. I will protect them with my life and bring them back safely to you guys" Lee gave his nice-guy pose to his former team-mate.

The dark-haired Hyuuga watched at the group as they walked out of the gate. Truthfully, he wasn't that worried about seeing Tenten leaving Konoha for a mission due to the fact that she was in Lee's team. He was more worried about seeing the look on Temari's face after he mentioned her husband's name. From the expression that she gave to him just now, he knew that there was something wrong if not, Temari wouldn't be giving him the slightly upset 'look' that could make anyone cower in fear.

"I just hope that you know what you're doing Shikamaru" He sighed before he turned around to make his leave.

It was only 5 minutes from the gate when the group stumbled upon a figure with Konoha's Jounin vest and high ponytail. Lee posed a glance at Temari who had her head hung low as if she was in a deep thought. "Temari-san, someone's here to see you. We'll wait for you in front"

She looked up to see the said someone leaning against one of the trees on the path side. She couldn't figure out who was that person, but as she saw the unmistakably familiar hairstyle and clothing. Her heart stopped beating for a moment. 'Could it be…did he come to see me?'

When the figure came in clear view, she was slightly disappointed but anyway still glad to find that Nara Shikaku had been the person to see her off that day. The warmth and fatherly love were always present on his face and in his actions whenever Temari and her children were around.

_Yoshino and Shikaku were about to start their early breakfast when a loud knock was heard coming from the front door. Both of them paused and looked quizzically at each other. Realizing that it might be a messenger from the Hokage, Yoshino stood up, wiping her hands on the nearest kitchen towel hanging by the wall and went straight to the door._

"_Who could it be?" She asked to herself as her hand reached the doorknob._

"_Ohayo…mom"_

_There, standing in front of her was none other than her daughter-in-law. Over the pass 6 years, this is the girl who she grew to love although at first, it was really hard for her to accept the fact that she was once involved with the attempted invasion against Konoha. _

"_Ohayo Temari-chan" Yoshino greeted her daughter-in-law with a smile on her slightly aged face. Temari was pulled into a deep motherly embrace once she stepped inside the moderately-sized abode of the older Nara. That plain act alone was enough to ease some of the pain that resided within her heart since the past few days._

"_My goodness, you looked tired Temari-chan." She asked as they pulled out of the embrace, with her hands resting on both of Temari's shoulders. Temari could only put on a bitter smile in response. "Anyway, we were just about to start breakfast. Come, join us"_

"_Ohayo…dad" It was quite weird at first for her to say the word 'dad' since her own father had never allowed her and her brothers to address him using any other word except Kazekage-sama. But even this man was someone else's father, his love was never less than a real father would give. May God bless the old man. Of course she meant the living one, not the dead one._

"_Hmm…oh, Temari? Have a sit, dear"_

_She muttered a slow thanks to her father-in-law as she grabbed a seat at the square-shaped rose-wood dinner table. Shakily, her hands moved to find a better position on the table. _

"_Mom, dad, I really love to stay, but I don't have much time to spend here." She paused, taking in a few breaths. "I accepted a mission from Hokage-sama. I was asked to represent Konoha to the Wind country on a political mission"_

_A slight frown marred Yoshino's face. "I thought Shikamaru agreed to take most of the missions after you married. You know he shouldn't let you work when you have other responsibilities"_

"_Oh no…no, mom. It was quite sudden, even he doesn't expect this. Naruto-sama had received the letter from Kazekage-sama only yesterday and he couldn't think of any other person suitable for the mission especially when it concerned the Wind's future" The fingers resting on the table were fidgeting nervously._

_Shikaku remained unfazed but he already stopped eating. On the other hand, Yoshino seem disappointed upon coming to the conclusion that her daughter-in-law had to go away on a mission, leaving her family behind._

"_I still can't believe that Shikamaru didn't talk to Hokage-sama about somebody else taking your place in return"_

_Temari wasn't good in defending other people in front of Yoshino. Heck, she can't even save herself for that matter. All she could do is to have an earful of Yoshino's ramblings. Sometimes she doesn't mind it because she knew that's how Yoshino showed that she cared deeply for someone and that is gratifying. But right now, she already had enough things to worry about._

"_Dear, we shouldn't get all worked up because of a small matter like this" Shikaku broke out his wife's outburst by placing his hand on her wife's back and rubbing her gently to calm her down. "How do you expect Temari to carry out her half part as a kunoichi if you already making a big fuss over such things?" _

_Yoshino just scowled in return, while Temari could never be thankful enough to have a father-in-law like Shikaku. For all these years, she thought he would never stand up to her mother-in-law. But right now, he became her savior. Temari's lips formed a small smile to both of them. 'That's how a husband and wife should be. They complement each other' She felt her admiration towards the older couple grew a notch longer._

"_Besides, doesn't that mean we could spend the next two weeks with our grandchildren? I think I'd love to have Hikaru and Kusanagi over here. Wouldn't that be nice? Am I right, Temari?"_

_She blinked incredulously at Shikaku. "I...I was just getting to that, Dad" Damn, now she knew where did her husband got the intelligence from. And to top it off, Shikaku was giving her the usual smile just like on her husband's face when he succeeded in something. _

'_They're like fire and water. Dad's the water, obviously' She chuckled to herself upon her own analogy of the couple._

_Yoshino reluctantly gave in to the situation. "I guess that's something that I can look forward to in the next few weeks. God knows Temari, I need something exciting in my life" She was now smiling at her and it was one genuine smile, filled with hope and promise. _

"_What…mom, don't you have dad already?"_

"_That's what I'm trying to tell you" Yoshino laughed as she nudged her husband gently, earning a grunt from him. _

_The conversation continued for the rest few minutes before Temari took her leave. She was glad that she could be able to enjoy a few moments with the older Naras after the things she went through. If only they realized that during their conversation, Temari had never pronounced her husband's name. Not even once. It was always 'he'. They would certainly know that something's up and she would never have the heart to let them know as yet._

"It seems that idiot son of mine has got other things to do apart from seeing you off" Shikaku stared straight into her eyes, as if he could see right through her feelings. Temari just laughed helplessly. If Shikaku knew what happened between her and his son, this man would never let his son see the last of him.

"Yoshino's at your house right now. She went to pack some of the kids' stuffs" He spoke as his gaze fixed on the opposite route behind her.

On the other hand, her turquoise orbs stared into Shikaku's rough-shaped face, realizing that despite all the scar battles he obtained during one of his many missions, he has a very great heart. "I-don't know who else I could turn to. Even so, I don't know how I could thank you and mom enough for helping me with the kids"

"Iie…it doesn't matter. That's what family does. They help each other"

Temari nodded in agreement. "Thanks again for this morning, dad. You really helped save me back there"

"About mom? Don't worry. I've known her too well. She cared about you, that's why she's been acting like that"

"Well…" There was a pause before she continued. "I think I'll be going now. Send my regards to mom" When Shikaku nodded, she took her leave.

"Temari…"

She looked back to see Shikaku held something in his hands.

"What's this?" She asked as her hands firmly grasped the pendant-like object.

"Yoshino asked me to give this amulet to you. It's been hers ever since before she married into the Nara family and it was from her mother. She thought it's time for her to give it to you as it meant for protection and safety. I don't want to scare you child, but Yoshino felt uncomfortable letting you go on a mission this time. I don't think I'd want to blame it on women's instincts either but, she felt that something's wrong and she doesn't want to tell me about it"

"Iie…don't worry, dad. I'll take care of myself. Besides, I'm not alone in this mission"

"I hope so, Temari. May you and the team come back here safely"

And she nodded calmly, although her insides are churning. She somehow remembered the fact once told by someone to her that motherly instincts are usually right and Yoshino is a mother. "Emm…dad…" She hesitated whether she should ask him what she wanted to know. But knowing she could get a satisfying answer, she let her question out. "If you told someone that you don't like changes but one day, your life took a new turn. What would you do about it?"

Shikaku remain calm despite her surprising question and he pondered for a moment before voicing out his opinion. "It depends on the situation. No one wants a bad change in their lives. But, if your life happened to take a better turn, it was destined to be the best. Sometimes unexpected things happened and you feel like running away. However you should know that every thing happened because of a reason and we should accept them as it is"

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The four of them hopped from trees to trees as the crescent moon perched high above the midnight skies. It has indeed been two nights since their departure from Konoha and the constantly moving journey had taken its toll on each member. Finally, Lee halted the team to a secured spot not too far from a flowing river.

"Hai…minna-san. We'll set up a camp here for tonight. Konohamaru and I will take the first watch, while Tenten and Temari-san, you would need to rest and need not worry about standing guard now"

"Lee-sensei…I'm so tired…" Konohamaru burbled as his slumped figure slide down a random medium-sized tree. "Tsk…tsk…" Lee just shook his head in disbelief as he smiled at his student's condition. "Konohamaru, this is your first mission as a Chuunin, certainly I could expect more than this from you"

"Demo…sensei, I really can't help it…" He let out a big yawn. Temari believed she could stuff a whole antelope into the boy's mouth.

"Ko-No-Ha-Ma-Ru, what happened to your own spirit of youth? Have all the flames gave in to the temptations of exhaustion?" Lee looked dramatically "petrified" at his student.

"Sensei…no…lecture…this time. I'm so tired…can't help it" The poor boy looked like he was going to pass out very soon.

'This could go on forever' Tenten sighed while Temari just smirked amusingly upon seeing their banter.

"Lee, I'll take the first watch with you. Let the boy rest first and don't be too hard on him" The dark-brown haired Jounin spoke up with her hands planted firmly on her hips.

Then Temari piped in. "Besides Lee-san, the boy looked like he could 'die' just from hearing your speech right now"

All of them broke into a small laughter with the exception of Konohamaru who had already fell asleep in a very funny style, just like a small child hugging a stuff animal except his stuff animal happened to be a small log. God knows where he managed to get that thing anyway.

'And I thought that this trip's gonna be a boring one' Temari mused to herself as she made her way to the stream to freshen up followed by Tenten from behind.

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**Meanwhile in Konoha…**

Shikamaru went back to an empty and dark house. He sighed as he kicked off his sandals and went towards the stairs, passing by the kitchen in the process. He stopped and stared through the opening, imagining that Temari would be there preparing dinner.

The gloomy atmosphere only brought out a lonely feeling inside him. When he reached his bedroom, he was about to open the door when he found a note sticking on the surface.

_Shikamaru,_

_The kids are with me. So, don't worry about them. DO drop by to check on your kids and I want you to come over and have dinner with us EVERY night. And I mean it._

_Love,_

_Mom_

_P/s: I took one of your spare keys so I could get into the house and help with the cleaning and laundry. Lord knows Shikamaru, you can't even make the bed on your own to save your life._

His forehead creased in possible 'fear' and 'aggravation'. His mother would never let the slightest chance of annoying him passed by. He opened the door and walked into the dark and shady room, feeling emptier than before as he looked at the bed. He wouldn't bother to turn on the lights or even sleep on the bed. What for? To turn on the lights to find an emptier room or sleeping on the bed without Temari beside him.

That's when he decided to go to the bar with Chouji and spend the night in the company of his buddies, away from the troublesome feelings that started to bug him. He hopped into the shower, changed into fresher clothes and exited the residence without looking back for the second time. He was so eager to get out from the house that he failed to notice a letter with his name engraved perched on top of the nightstand, just at the foot of a picture frame; the frame which displayed his wedding photo.

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It was her turn to stand guard for the rest of the night. At first, Temari decided to sit on one of the tree limbs but after calculating the possibilities of falling accidentally to the ground, she decided to stay put on the ground, making full use of the big rocks nearby as a back supporter.

With two days of traveling with the 'Kyodai Sensu' on her back, her priceless giant fan had never seemed so heavy before. She had to suffer the after-effects of carrying such weapon by having a slight ache at her back and her waist. And not to mention the extra 'weights' she had to carry along with her. It's been only three months and she was in her early stages of pregnancy but she could feel the extra vibe she's been having from the inside ever since she received the good news.

She smothered her long dark navy skirt as she settled in a better position against the flat, cold surface. She decided to scout around after checking on Konohamaru who had already resumed Lee's watch post on top of a big tree not very far from the camp site.

As she absorbed her surroundings, she realized that they had cross the Wind country's borders and they still had another half day before they reached Suna. She wondered why was all the traveling didn't even tire her to point of passing out despite her condition.

She kept vigil for any suspicious intruders; while in the same time her mind wandered off to Konoha. She wondered how the kids are coping without her and how is her husband doing at home. She had gotten over the disappointment she felt towards him since she's been worrying about him ever since she left the gates last two days. Guess that's enough to prove that she really loved him and will always do despite the misunderstandings.

'I still haven't got the chance to tell him face to face. Will he accept the babies once he knew about them?' The unanswered questions dissolved slowly into the early morning breeze when the sun's about to rise in the next couple of hours.

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Yoshino's sleep was stirred by the faint sound of crying in the middle of the night. Groggily, she looked at her husband who seemed to be awoken at the same time. "It's the kids. They must be having a nightmare" Shikaku muttered under his breath as he turned on the table lamp.

"I'll go and have a look…" Yoshino pushed away the blanket and made her way towards the bedroom door. She went across until she reached the last room between the three doors along the hallway. It was Shikamaru's old room and it was not a foreign thing for her to creep her way to the room almost every single night because her once little boy that time had been having nightmares. It seems that her "little boy's" children had been having some disturbing dreamscapes of their own.

"Ara…What's happening here?" She asked as soon as she opened the door, only to find Hikaru cradling her weeping little brother in her arms in the dimly lit room. The boy's shoulders heaved frantically while holding tightly to his little bear. He was crying so hard that he nearly choked on his own tears.

Hikaru was a little bit better than her younger brother although there were visible traces of tears on her angelic little face. She looked up to Yoshino when her grandmother turned on the bigger lights. "Gr-grand-ma?"

"Hai…what's wrong Hikaru-chan?" Yoshino placed herself beside the kids on the bed, while gathering little Kusanagi in one arm and the other one holding Hikaru in a gentle embrace on impulse. "Kusanagi-chan?" She patiently waited for their tears to subside, but from the looks of it, it's gonna be awhile.

The silhouette of her husband appeared leaning against the doorpost, with a quizzical look on his face.

"Are you hurt?" She asked the little blonde girl while pushing away a few of her bangs and wiped the tear stains on her face. The girl shook her head. "Are you having nightmares?" Again, she shook her head in response.

Yoshino glanced at her husband with a "get-your-butt-here-if-you-want-to-be-useful" look. Shikaku calmly cleared his throat, while in the same time took heed of his wife's meaningful gaze. He plopped himself on one of the settees opposite the bed.

"Hikaru-sweetheart, you know you can tell grandpa and grandma what's been bothering you and your brother?" He asked in a warm, mild tone towards his oldest grandchild.

Hikaru's face which was now buried into Yoshino's chest looked up hesitantly to the slightly grayed man. "We want mommy…" A fresh tear started to trickle down her cheeks.

"Mommy had to go on a mission, sweetheart. She'll be back next week"

"No, mummy wants to leave us…"

"Why did you say that, Hikaru-chan?" One of his eyebrows arched in question.

"Perhaps we should get Shikamaru over here tomorrow…" exclaimed Yoshino to her husband.

"No… we don't want daddy. He made mommy cry and made her left us"

Both of the adults stared into each other with unbelievable looks in their eyes. Shikaku chose to push an impossible notion aside.

"Aaa…it's normal for mom and dad to argue over times, Hikaru-chan. Grandpa and grandma do too, sometimes. But, we would always work it out in the end" He stood up and hold the little girl in his arms. Hikaru delved her little head onto Shikaku's right shoulder, searching for security.

"Daddy was upset. I couldn't sleep, so I went to the room and saw daddy fighting with mommy. I heard mommy said she wants to go back to Suna, but daddy just left. Then, I saw mommy crying on the bed. She said she hate daddy"

"Oh my god, dear…" Yoshino was quite shocked upon hearing the revelation from the 5 year old girl. Her eyes went from looking at Kusanagi; who apparently had cried himself to sleep and to Hikaru. Finally, her dark brown orbs settled on Shikaku. Her husband just shook his head at her while mouthing, "Don't worry. It's just a small fight"

"What do you mean a small fight? This is serious, SHIKAKU!" Came the silent reply.

"Don't worry, Yoshino. I supposed they'll work it out when she gets back" He mouthed back, with a composed manner.

"I have a bad feeling about this, dear…"

"Can't you trust me this time?"

"I don'…"

"Grandpa..."

"Hai…Hikaru-chan?"

"Why did you talk like that with grandma? It's funny" She looked up at her grandfather, with small hints of smile on her lips, eliciting an unperturbed feeling inside the older man. "It's called a 'secret language'. I used it with your grandmother if we want to talk to each other privately"

"Can I learn too?"

His hand ruffled the golden locks framing her face. "Sure, little one. Better still, grandpa could teach you how to climb the trees using chakra, walk on water or learn how to use Kage…"

"SHIKAKU!"

"I guess… you should sleep now" He quickly cowered away from his wife's infamous 'death' glare, emitting a small giggle from the small girl as she tumbled softly onto the bed.

Life with her grandparents was never a dull one.

Yoshino felt extremely relieved upon seeing the smile on her granddaughter's face, indicating that she had forgotten the reason why she had cried before. Even so, she could not push away her motherly instincts which pointed out that there's obviously something wrong going on with her son's marriage. A mother like her could not turn her back against something like this. She wants some answer and she will get it. Straight from her beloved son himself.

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_End Of Chapter 6_

_To Be Continued…_

Next Chapter…

_We will get a glimpse of the Sabakuno family in Sunagakure. Temari's youngest brother is dealing with one of the hardest times in his life until he is forced to make a decision that will test the strength of a woman's heart and love. What would happen when Kankurou found out that he's going to become an uncle once again? What will the rest think once the hidden news was revealed? While in Konoha, Yoshino's expectation was proven to be true. But how did she found out about it and the secret Temari had been hiding all along? Will Shikamaru be saved from his mother's wrath?_

A/N : Well, find out in the next few chapters minna! So, R&R! Love you!

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Ardenilia's Un-guaranteed Reference To The Some- Japanese-Words-That-She-Tried To-Use-But-Fail-Miserably-In-Doing-So

Taijutsu – hand-to-hand combat

Ohayo – Morning (Good)

Koi- love (a short for koibito lover)

Yosh – All right

Minna- everybody

Kunoici – Female ninja

Hai – Yes

Demo - But

Kyodai Sensu – (I don't exactly know what the word means, but I read somewhere that it was the name of Temari's giant metal fan)

Correct me if I'm wrong, ne? Ja Ne!


	7. A Past Forgotten, A Future Uncertain

IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLES

By ardenilia

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns Uzumaki Naruto & Company. I'm just an average teenager, trying to achieve great things as many as possible in life.

Author's Note: Before you guys start to read the chapter, I would like to give my deepest apologies to all my readers and especially reviewers for failed to update my story as frequently as possible. I don't wanna give excuses but, although I'm free from all the hassles of studying, I only got my own internet connection at home just this week. So, minna-san, gomen once again. Please don't shoot me in the head or try to rip my heart out just to know whether I'm lying or not. Apart from that, I had a discussion with my very trusted friend, Jewel Green (by the way, where are you dear?) and with her opinions and P.O.V, I decided to expand the storyline just a little bit more. Bwahaha… I kinda started to really love this fic and I'm glad that you guys do too. Well, please enjoy this chapter!

-- WARNING --

This chapter features sloppy action scenes, some crappy jokes, a very "warm" siblings union, some girl-talk, a few suggestions and a very brief history check.

Summary: Both of them did not expect this. More over Shikamaru. What's Temari gotta do? This one, not even Dai Kamaitachi No Jutsu could handle…

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**Part 7 : A Past Long Forgotten, A Future Being Uncertain**

The four nins continued their journey to finish the rest of half day's worth of traveling to Suna in the early morning light. From where they stood, they could see the end of the greenery area, leading to an opening of the dessert. Lee, Konohamaru and Tenten looked quite enthusiastic and maybe slightly relieved that they will be arriving at the village and be able to meet old acquaintances like the Kazekage and his older brother, Kankurou. They weren't really the best of buddies, not in Lee and Gaara's case however, but you could say that they have been supporting each other's back in terms of diplomatic, security and inter-village political matters ever since the alliance between Konoha and Suna was re-established.

Temari, on the other hand couldn't wash away the nagging feeling inside her heart. Absorbing her surroundings, then she realized that the atmosphere was awkwardly quiet. Too quiet to be normal.

'Something's up.' Her heart cried, as one of her hands moved to her holster. Her heart pounded alarmingly in her ribcage.

"Lee-sensei, how long are we gonna arrive at Suna, huh?" Konohamaru asked, breaking the silence, oblivious to Temari's predicament since she had been moving behind them.

"If my calculation is correct Konohamaru-kun, the latest would be by late afternoon. If we keep this speed up, we could even make it for lunch" Lee replied with a thumbs-up gesture, earning a grin and a shook from his brunette colleague.

"Is eat the only thing the two of you could think of, Lee?" Tenten let out a small laugh. But soon she became conscious of Temari's withdrawal from the conversation.

"Temari…are you alright?"

"Huh? What? You said something Tenten?"

"Yeah, are you alright? I mean, is there something wrong?"

"I just felt…that something's not right. Do you feel like there's someone else besides us?"

"WHAT!" Tenten shrieked, her hands subconsciously grabbed a kunai from her weapons pack.

"Shh…"

"Oh sorry. I was too busy looking out for these guys…" Tenten said, pointing towards both of their teammates upfront. From the corners of her eyes, Temari swore she caught a glimpse of a thin string laid on the ground.

'Oh shit!' She cursed silently as she discovered there were actually several more ahead. Konohamaru and Lee were too focused on moving that they couldn't see the slightly invisible strings.

"Konohamaru, Lee watch yo…" Was all she could managed to say before a large number of handle-less kunais flew straight to the dark-haired Chuunin and Jounin. On impulse, Temari spread the Kyodai Sensu widely, aiming straight to her teammates.

"Dai Kamaitachi No Jutsu!"

A strong gust of cyclone-like wind wiped away the projectiles, cutting some of the nearby trees in the process. Thankfully, she could control her level of damage to prevent injuries to her comrades.

"I'm sorry, minna. Are you alright?" Temari asked as she planted her fan to the earth.

"What was that?" Konohamaru asked, blinking away some dirt from his eyes.

Lee gritted his teeth. "It's a trap"

Suddenly, five figures fully clad in all blacks appeared from the nearby shrubs, throwing several kunais and shurikens to the unsuspecting nins, and one of the assailants was aiming straight for Temari.

Temari was caught off guard as a very sharp kunai pierced through her hands, knocking her metal fan to the ground. As she tried to pick it up, a shadow loomed above her. One of the unidentified ninjas was ready to stab her in her bending position.

'Oh God, I'm not gonna make it in time!' Her heart cried as she tried to reach for her weapons holster instead. At that moment, the sound of clashing metals brought her head upwards only to see that her attacker was now pushed back, with a few kunais stuck at his chest and abdomen.

"That was sneaky, you bastard" Tenten sneered, her hands held a few shuriken and kunais from her pack and her weapons summoning scroll ready to be spread wide. "Try that again and I swear that this 'baby'…" she said, as she spread the scroll. "…gonna stuck other horrifying 'things' to your head after this"

The man cowered in fear, but he managed to stand up albeit hardly to take cover by siding with two of his comrades, who were having quite a rough time with the Taijutsu master and his student. The other one, who was obviously the leader, gave a signal and the rest of them nodded. As they began to take flight, each one of them put several pieces of small square-shaped papers on the nearest tree they could reach in time. The pale yellow-like papers seemed to bear the kanji of…no doubt…

KIBAKU FUDA!

"Everyone take cover!" Lee warned the rest of the team to shelter themselves while they still can.

A loud explosion boomed throughout the forest. Lee managed to drag Konohamaru down with him to the ground while Tenten and Temari were unfortunately thrown back several meters due to the impact. Luckily, Temari managed to use her fan to create a small blast of air and assimilated her chakra to mete out most of the possible perils.

Lee quickly picked himself up to ran after their assailants, but to no avail, as soon as the dust and smoke cleared, all that was revealed was remnants of blown-up trees and scattered rocks, soils and discarded weapons.

"Bastards! I swear if I ever see them again, they're not gonna live another day to regret!" Konohamaru exclaimed with his hands formed into tight fists. Fury palpable in his coal-black orbs.

Tenten picked herself up from the ground. Lee dashed to help her but when she turned her head around, she saw Temari lying face down, motionless on the dirt. "Lee…don't mind me. Help Temari…please"

Lee, with haste made his way to kneel beside the former sand kunoichi. His hands trembled of fear…

"Temari-san…"

…fear of losing a comrade…no, it's impossible…Temari-san is a strong woman. She couldn't easily…

On that moment, Temari's body jerked up, supported by her two now bleeding hands.

"That son of a bitch! HE CUT MY ARM!" She screamed when she looked at her injured limbs. "I swear, when I found him I'm gonna rip his chest open and feed his guts to the dogs and I…"

Three pairs of eyes were fixed at her, all with the same expression.

"And I…" She trailed on and just realized that she had quite embarrassed herself in front of her teammates by screaming like a raving lunatic over some several small cuts.

"And I…think I'm okay now, minna-san. How about you guys?" She came out with a very perfect 'instant' smile when she stood up on her slightly wobbly legs.

"We're glad that you're okay, Temari-san" Konohamaru piped in, switching into a better mode than before, although he was quite unconvinced with Temari's statement. Well, who doesn't with all the blood on her hands, a few fresh cuts on her neck and several on the skin that was slightly exposed by her kimono top AND with a very thin but long gash on her left jaw?

'If Temari-san would go berserk just by the cuts on her hands, I don't think I wanna know what would happened if she found out about the cut on her face!' Konohamaru mulled over wordlessly to himself. He might not be the smartest one in the bunch, but he wasn't stupid enough to understand that women EXTREMELY care about their face.

In contrast, Lee wore a gloomy expression. His head hung low in disappointment. "Gomen nasai, minna-san. I was careless. I should've been more aware of our surroundings"

"Lee-san" Temari said, as she picked the Kyodai Sensu off the soil. "It's not your fault or anybody's fault. Hey, we're all still in one piece" She grinned amusingly, albeit cringing slightly due to the cut while Tenten butted in. "I know this is not a good time to laugh, but cheer up Lee"

The edges of his lips curved into a relieved smile. "But, you really got me freaked out back there, Temari-san. How am I going to my show my face in front of the Kazekage if anything DID happen to you?"

"That depends if you have a will written out already or not"

They all broke into a small laugh, enjoying a diminutive flicker of amusement. Despite all the pressure and intense atmosphere just now, they could still find comfort within the presence of the team members.

"But you know…" Temari said when the laughter subsided. Konohamaru, Tenten and Lee turned their head towards her direction.

"I believed that there's someone who doesn't want us to arrive at Suna in one piece" Her voice sounded bitter and her eyes reflected the color of the desert. And they realized that they actually had reached the end of the forest, as a wide mass of sand become discernible in front of them.

"And I swear this is gonna be a long ride" She whispered low, inaudible to the others, but still cringing her face. 'Ouch, did I break a jaw or something?', she asked to herself.

So, they continued on with the rest of their journey, being more cautious than before.

"Lee-sensei, do you bet we could make it to lunch?"

"I bet we will, Konohamaru" Lee grinned giving the rest a 'nice-guy' pose.

A sweat drop formed on Tenten's forehead. "You guys…"

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It was around half past two when the group arrived at Sunagakure No Sato. They cut through the streets of sand and wind; enquiring yet warm smiles from the townsfolk greeted them in return. It's not everyday you have ninjas from a neighboring country came to the village looking all geared up for an official assignation.

"Temari…" A fruity yet low voice spoke up from the clouds of flying sands in front of where they stood.

"What the…." As if in cue, a figure clad in a perceptibly familiar black training gear appeared, with several scrolls hung tightly at his sides and the most memorable intricate designs of face paint appeared.

"Kankurou…?"

"Temari? You…you looked fat!" Her brother shouted, pointing a finger at her. All the same with amusement portrayed on his sneering face.

"Oh, shut up. Is this the way to welcome your guests?" She smirked, although the notion of hitting him hard on the head with her metal companion seems tempting enough.

"Itei-…" The brunette puppeteer yelped in surprise as someone pulled at his painted face. "What was that for!"

Well, no need to do that anymore since it seems that Temari had someone else to do the job.

"Okaeri nasai, Temari-nee-chan." A fair, beautiful girl with locks of chestnut-colored hair framing her heart-shaped face stepped forward from behind Kankurou. Hands evident that the girl had been the one pinching her brother's cheek before.

"Tadaima…Mina-chan" A warm, genuine smile etched upon her face as she looked at her sister-in-law.

'Ahh…' Temari sighed in contentment. It really felt so nice to be back home, where you originally belong.

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**At the same time, at the Administration Building………**

"Kazekage-sama, there's no concrete reason why you should be doubtful of your own council. We, as your advisors have pledged our loyalty in your disposal" Baki's calm yet low tone broke the silence in the meeting court. The atmosphere was a mix of worries, doubts and maybe, a little bit of suspicion in the air.

The 25 year old red-haired Suna shinobi stared into deep space. His hand placed under his chin, as his elbow was rooted firmly on the wooden table. The dark circles around his eyes that were long gone after his "death" at the hands of the Akatsuki had reappeared. It appears that he had been through a few sleepless nights, concerning the matter at hand.

He could not take chances. He knew that there's something amiss with the current politics situation. Just last week he received several reports claiming that there was a protest at the west end of Suna and two days later at a small craftsmen village not very far from the former occurrence. He knew that no sane people would dare to challenge his authority as the Kazekage, but there's certainly a bunch of merry men out to get him and strike at any chance given. And exactly for any reason, at all.

"Such rebellious actions must be caused by a reason and I need to know why. This problem must be settled before it affects the stability of the village" Gaara voiced out his concern, eyes guardedly fixed on each of his council's members as they tried really hard to pick out the right words to say, in fear of provoking the former Bijuu container.

Matsumoto, a man of his early 40's yet looked wiser than his age cleared his throat, having the attention of his peers. "I'm not sure if this information is strongly valid, Kazekage-sama, but a trustable informant reported that there's a rumor lingering around saying that Suna prefers having almost 70 of our economic sector been spent on the goods from Konoha and Iwa. That had somehow evoked the villagers to go out in distrust to the council, claiming that we are playing favorites with our alliances and not exactly helping to help our economic growth. Besides, imported goods can only mean higher tax rate"

Gaara had his hands clasped together to support his face, his eyelids stood low, revealing half of his somewhat tired light green eyes. "Even if the rumor claimed to be true Matsumoto-san, there's a logical explanation for that. Our village's industrial situation has not exactly achieved a satisfying level. It's totally obvious that I'm providing them time, space and finance for them to work on the maturity of their production status until they were ready for us to release into the inter-village transaction" He clarified the situation in a very long sentence, much to the surprise of everyone in presence. It was really awkward when for the first time in history; Sabaku No Gaara had spoken more than two sentences in one time.

Thankfully his former sensei, Baki voluntary decided to summarize his statement in one simple conclusion. "I agree with Gaara-sama. For the mean time, if they don't get their butts off doing such useless antiques and started to really put their heads and hands into work, they aren't going to get anything profitable" The old Jounin with half of his face covered in white cloth looked at Gaara, searching for signs of approval. He released a sigh of relief as he realized that Gaara seems okay with it.

But suddenly, a notion hit him in his mind.

"Gaara-sama, don't you think that it was quite suspicious that such well-kept and discreet information had been leaked out to our citizens?"

"That is what I've been trying to tell you. Such things would not happen if it weren't for the work from the inside" There was a slight pause in his tone with a 'I-told-you-so' expression on his handsome yet vaguely worn out face. "What do you think Haruka-san?" He directed his gaze to the person next to his right, at the opposite of Baki.

The said man leant back on his seat, hands propped casually on the armrest. His beatific, well-sculpted face shone with an indescribable facade as his thin lips tightened into a knowing smile. "I'm honored that my opinion is considered in this situation Gaara-sama. I hope I won't disappoint you" His whispery-like voice responded to their leader's query with a very confident tone.

Baki couldn't help but feel unease and disgusted at the man in front of him. He knew he couldn't ignore the feeling that Haruka was not someone who you could really trust at the first place. Despite the well-groomed and charming demeanor (to most female population in Suna and neighboring villages), there's this impression that screams of vengeance and insatiable desire for power. It is so obvious that he is trying to get on Gaara's good side to his advantage. Baki is very suspicious indeed. Well, who doesn't if that person happened to be 'missing' or in his words, run away during the war between Konoha, Oto and Suna back when the Godaime Kazekage's first S-Rank mission is in disguise of a Chuunin exam.

Haruka was originally the Yondaime Kazekage's most trusted official or in other words apprentice. For a bratty teenager, he seemed to have the wisdom of a grown up, earning him respect and trust by the Yondaime. Back in the old days when Baki was still the teacher of the Yondaime's children namely Gaara, Kankurou and Temari, Haruka had become the favorite of the Sand Siblings' father. Much to his students' disappointment, you could say that the Yondaime Kazekage preferred Haruka more than his own children. While his children were sent off to the ninja academy so they could become useful pawns in his domination games, Haruka was treated like his own son, living a very lavish life, educated with the rules of the game so that one day he would succeed the throne of the Kage. If there's another person who is not that terrified with Gaara, it would be Haruka since he knew he has the upper hand in terms of authority and position.

Unfortunately, the Yondaime Kazekage was murdered by the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru during his journey to Konoha, a few days before the plan of invasion was supposed to be kicking off. And his body or what was left of it was discovered by Baki. So much to his surprise, Haruka's cadaver was nowhere to be found and ever since, he was reported missing.

After 4 years of disappearance, Haruka came back from his so-called "salvation" in Takigakure a year after Gaara hold the title of Kazekage, claiming that he returned to give his support and "experience" to Gaara and Suna in general.

Auspiciously the former atrocious, blood-thirsty young shinobi had learnt to tone down his madness and learnt to trust and accept people around him after his one-on-one encounter with the current Rokudaime Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto sometime 13 years ago. Sorry to say, it seems that his trust had been put on one of the most "untrustworthy" person of all. How ironic can it be?

Baki doesn't know what Gaara's state is in this matter. Hell, until now he never succeeded in understanding what is really going on in the young Kazekage's mind. He couldn't discern what 'poison' that Haruka had put into Gaara to make him trust almost every one of his words.

He could only hope that Gaara's vision would not be clouded with such false charades and he believed that his ex-student would make the best judgment in every situation. But one couldn't be too hopeful. He just hoped that the rat Haruka isn't planning anything behind their backs.

"You looked preoccupied, Baki-san. Is anything amiss?" Haruka's voice broke him from his musings. All different ten pairs of eyes were now fixed at him, causing him to waver a little bit.

'Damn it. That slithering snake' Baki cursed silently, he bared his teeth in aggravation.

Smirking in satisfaction, Haruka continued in presenting his words. "As I was saying that in this situation, we shouldn't lose trust with our own people. If the internal structure is collapsing, then all the more for the 'outsiders' to take this village down. If our political formation is in shambles, then all the more reason for our alliances to take advantage of this situation"

Baki snapped in disagreement. "Are you implying that our alliances, or as you acclaimed the 'outsiders' such as Konoha and Iwa are not reliable?"

Haruka derided Baki's statement boorishly, running one hand through the side of his head hidden under the head cover. His sharp wine-colored eyes stared back with the same intensity as Baki's. "I'm not saying that Konoha and Iwa are not reliable. I was merely stating the fact that we cannot be TOO trusting on others. Surely you could understand this more than I do, Gaara-sama?"

Baki's patience had reached its limit. "Are you saying about them or are you saying about yourself!"

"That's enough you two!" Gaara's loud voice echoed throughout the conference room, stirring the walls a bit in the process. His two most trusted advisors were glaring daggers with the same force that could be enough to light the streets of Suna for a week. The tension in the room has nearly reached its peak, and it could burst at any given time.

Luckily, Baki chose a smarter way to deal with the situation due to a decade of experience in training the young Godaime.

"My apologies, Gaara-sama" Baki's head stood low for he was ashamed to be seen in such weak state in front of his peers and most importantly Gaara. And certainly not in front of that sly and twisted snake that you want to call a comrade.

"This is a very un-professional way to handle important matters. Baki-san, Haruka-san, I understand your concern for the safety of the village but, this is not the time to complicate things further by questioning each other's reliability" Gaara's tone had become calmer and yet still firm. Disappointment unmistakably written on his pale face.

"I think the meeting should be adjourned, but before I do, I'd like to ask a favor from the council…By all means, please be more supportive and professional during our meeting tomorrow, since I do not need to remind you that we will be having a few reps from Konoha with us tomorrow"

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"So, I assumed that Kazekage-sama is in a meeting right now?" Lee asked Kankurou while they were lounging in the quite large living room at the mansion. The sand dweller just shrugged in return, before turning his head towards the Konoha Green Beast.

"He should be finishing soon"

"And I thought that you are one of his council members?"

"Yeah, I am. But I don't really want to be there. Kinda 'disturbing', if you have to deal with a few thick-headed numbskulls"

Lee laughed in response. "Would that be including your brother?"

"Whoa…whoa…I never said that. Hey, you want some sake?" Kankurou asked while he stood up to make his way to a wooden cabinet, filled with lots of bottles with brands that he himself couldn't pronounce without twisting his tongue.

A chorus of 'NO!' was heard behind him.

As he turned around, he couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Tenten, crossing both of her arms in an X, Konohamaru holding his hands together like a pray while his sister stood rigid with her hands planted firmly on her slim wai-….no, no,no. Make that slightly not-that-slim waist. "God, Temari, what have you been doing all of these years?" He asked nonchalantly at his sister, his eyes squinted with amusement.

"What!"

"Seriously sis, you need to lose some weight"

"Oh, what's it to you!"

"You really need to watch your figure, if you don't want to lose your man"

Temari's mouth gaped open in disbelief. How dare he? That nerve!

"You're not looking so better yourself!" She darted back in return, although she knew that there wasn't any single truth in her statement, because it is clearly visible that Kankurou looked way much better when they were used to be teenagers. The plump boy had grown into a very well-built man, rugged looks and inches taller than her. Temari hated to say this, but he is an exact carbon copy of their late father.

"Admit it Temari, I looked good and you know it" He beamed mockingly at his sister, revealing those dazzling white pearls.

"You're unbelievable, spoilt brat!"

"And I learnt it from the best" Kankurou laughed, fueling more of her anger. "Hey Lee, you sure you don't wanna have a drink or two?" He completely ignored the ringing voice and turned his back at the fuming statue of a certain blonde hair kunoichi, her hands set to beat her 'loving' brother into a bloody pulp.

Lee waved his hand in a declining manner. "Sorry, Kankurou-san. I really have to pass. I don't want to put you into trouble. And I think you should turn around now, Temari-san's really pissed off"

Kankurou quickly turned around in time for his face to meet with Temari's knuckles.

"AWWW!" He screamed in pure agony as her fist did a great job in inflicting a week's worth of pain. "What was that for!" He bellowed in disbelief at his obviously enraged sister, his left hand in a swift went to cover his yet swollen cheek while his other hand luckily stopped another one of Temari's fist just in the nick of time before it landed on his other body parts.

"That's for telling me that I'm FAT!"

"Aww….C'mon. Where's your sense of humor, sis?"

"Put some ice on that, BRO. That is gonna hurt for a while" She petted her brother's cheek none too gently, educing a painful moan from the brown-haired Jounin.

"It goes the same to you too. You've got one nasty gash on your left jaw. Ooh…that is gonna hurt for a while" Kankurou said, giving her back her last sentence.

"WHAT!"

The room went into utter chaos with Kankurou trying to nurse his cheek, Temari hollering in front of hanging mirror with Tenten trying to comfort her with a packet of ice in her hands. Konohamaru and Lee sat in a similar Indian-style on the couch, sighing for the umpteenth time. Really, the Sabakunos are a very 'happy' bunch indeed.

Minako emerged from behind a big door, looking extremely surprised upon the situation. Just as she was about to ask what happened, she realized that another figure just walked in to the room from the main hallway.

She smiled at the person while bowing slightly in respect. "Okaeri-nasai, Gaara-sama"

"Tadaima, nee-chan. Am I missing something?"

Minako could only shrug her shoulders in return, with a feeble grin on her face.

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Temari threw herself onto the four post bed, gently caressing the purple satin sheet as her body bounced back gently. She just got out from a very invigorating hot shower, clad in a simple white yukata. Her golden tresses scattered unevenly on the soft, lumpy surface as she stared at the ceiling above her. Her senses promptly picked up the scents of lavender and she turned to lie on her sides, catching the sight of the freshly picked purple flower in a crystal vase on top of the night stand.

It was really nice of her sister-in-law to prepare her room like she usually does. How long has it been since she last came to this room? Oh yeah, almost four months now, and it was during Kankurou and Minako's wedding. And this room **always** managed to get Shikamaru "in the mood" for some serious loving, all night long until the break of early dawn. Because of that, there's one time when they "accidentally" woke up extremely late the next day only to get teased by Kankurou, Kiba and the gang of who are exactly the newlyweds in that place that time? Thank God that Naruto wasn't there, if not, they would never hear the last of it.

A loud knock at her bedroom door broke her from her stupor.

"Yes?"

"It's me…-" The door opened to reveal the all familiar sweet face of Minako, holding a tray in her hands. "I just got back from our guests' rooms, to see if they need anything. That's why I came here"

The fan wielder patted on a spot beside her. "Come on in, Mina-chan. Have a seat"

Minako stepped into the room, her movements graceful while she placed the silverware on a nearby dressing table. The young lady smoothen her soft powder blue kimono before she settled herself beside the older woman.

"I brought some ice with me, in case you need them to cool down the wounds a little bit. And, also some bandages too"

"Thanks. I'll bet they're gonna be swollen for the next few days, but, hey, I've suffered through much worst situation. I couldn't understand what drove me into the brink of 'insanity' just because of some minor cuts and bruises"

"Are you sure? I swear you looked really hurt back then. If it's because of Kankurou, I'm really sorry for his behalf"

"No, it's not because of him. It's just something that he said" She drawled unconsciously.

"_**You really need to watch your figure, if you don't want to lose your man"**_

"Nee-chan?"

"What? Oh…nah, it's just nothing. Don't worry so much" Temari laughed the notion off before it led to some painful reminiscence. "By the way, how's everyone in Suna?"

"We're doing great, so far. But, I think something's bothering Gaara-sama. Some political stuffs or something like that"

"I could see that, he completely zoned out while we're in the middle of dinner."

"Or, maybe he just got the pre-wedding jitters. Yup, that's a possibility" Temari could imagined that there was a small light bulb blinked with a thinking balloon popped out of nowhere with 'WOMEN'S INTUITION' written all over it on top of the young girl's head.

"You think so?" 'Oh, great. Now, I'm imagining things'

"The wedding's only one month away"

"Wow, I still can't believe that our baby brother's getting married. So, have you seen the bride?"

"I only met Aina-san twice. I usually missed her when she came here to pay Gaara-sama a visit. She's really beautiful, polite and very soft-spoken. I guess her upbringing as a daimyo's daughter shaped the way she carries herself"

"A daimyo's daughter, huh?" Temari let out a small whistle. "So, how did Gaara met her?"

"It was an alliance proposed by the Tsuchikage to strengthen the already severe tie between Iwa and Suna. So, basically one of the daimyos offered his daughter's hand in marriage to Gaara-sama"

"A marriage of convenience. Poor Gaara. But I thought that he should be hating Iwa since he was once kidnapped by one of their missing nins, who was that weirdo? Deidre…Dedra-or something?"

"He should but from what I heard, wasn't his accomplice used to be one of Suna's talented shinobi, Akasuna No Sasori? Does that mean he should be hating our own village too?"

"Yeah…I forgotten about that. That bastard who almost killed your yet-to-be husband"

"Please don't remind me of that" Minako's lips formed into small pout as Temari laughed heartily upon her remark.

"Anyway nee-chan, how about Konoha? How's Kusanagi-chan and Hikaru-chan doing?"

"They're great too, everyone's great"

"How about Shikamaru-san?"

"What about him?"

"…"

"Probably much better now after I left"

"You made it sounded like he hates your presence"

Temari looked away in hopes to conceal her true feelings from the other woman in the room, igniting a very quizzical emotion from the perceptive daughter of the former Sabakuno family doctor.

"-…sorry, nee-chan. I didn't mean for it to sound that way"

"Nah…you're probably right anyway. We just had a small misunderstanding, and we believe that the distance would do us some good"

There was a good silent pause in the conversation, before Minako patted Temari's shoulder gently.

"I hoped that everything would be alright again when you go back to Konoha"

"I really don't know what to feel" 'I highly doubt that it would be that easy, Mina-chan'

Minako's dark brown irises stared back at the eldest sibling of the Sabakuno family. When she took in the blonde's profile in her gaze, somehow she had a very worrying feeling tugging at the edges of her heart. Something is totally bothering her sister-in-law. Well, everyone in the household is troubled by something. Gaara-sama is really disturbed by the current situation in his office while her own husband had been dissatisfied with the fact that his little brother is 'going weak' and his big sister almost succeeded in dislocating his jaw bones the first time they met after a few months.

"_Ooh…That's REALLY gonna hurt, anata" Her eyebrows furrowed as she examined the bluish spot on her husband's left cheek. Her dainty fingers tried to caress the blotch, but accidentally jabbed it when Kankurou tried to lean in for a quick kiss. _

"_AWWW!"_

"_Sorry. You just can't sit still for a while, can't you? Besides, who told you to push nee-chan's buttons at the first place?"_

"_Mina, you know how we function, right? We're used to get on each other's nerve ever since the day we were born. But I just can't believe that she could get all touchy because of a small harmless joke"_

"_In any ways, you shouldn't be doing it again"_

"_Okay, alright. It's not my fault if it's her 'time-of-the-month'!" Kankurou raised his arms, signaling his defeat. Really, his wife could be really stubborn when she wanted to be. Heck, that was one of the few reasons why he married her at the first place._

_Minako rolled her eyes in absolute hopelessness. Kankurou could be such a pain in the neck sometimes. From the first moment they met, she believed that he was the most arrogant, self-conceited, pampered brat she ever met. Goodness! And now she couldn't find herself waking up one morning without him by her side. _

"_I've never seen Gaara so distressed before. I've been there when he used to go berserk and ran on a killing spree, but, this is actually 'worst' than that. Just plain weird"_

_Under his tough, loud façade, deep inside Kankurou cared a lot for his siblings. After all, they're what each other had._

"Nee-chan, I think I'll better let you rest for the night" Minako stood up to take her leave.

"Thanks a lot, Mina-chan. It's just so nice to be able to talk with another woman in the family" Temari posed a momentary look to the respective girl, while propping the pillows on her bed. 'I'm really grateful, Mina'

"Hey, that's what sisters are for. Anyway, if you feel like you need to talk about anything at all, you know you can count on me"

The door closed with a soft thud.

The evening cruised into midnight, and most of the occupants in the household were sound asleep. But there are some who couldn't even close their eyes throughout the night. Two siblings, to be exact. One is uptight of her future while the other is disturbed by his present.

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The next day, after a hearty breakfast and reviving morning exercise, Rock Lee decided that Temari should be the one representing Konoha in the official court while the rest of the team will travel to the west province of Suna, to gather information and investigate. After having the approval by the young Kage, Lee, Konohamaru and Tenten set off after promising to Temari that they will be back later in the afternoon. Kankurou walked up to her sister, and casually asked her "When are you going to tell me about the ambush yesterday?" He stretched out a little bit before resting his lean body against the mansion's humongous pillar. From the corners of his eyes, he saw Temari's metal fan perched near his sister's feet.

"What? I… don't know what you're talking about" The kunoichi stuttered, as she struggled to avoid answering the unexpected question from the puppeteer shinobi.

"Mina found out about it from that little pip squeak of your team"

"Konohamaru? Oh that brat, I'm really gonna kill him for sure!"

"Nah…he's already scared out of his wits when I asked him about that last night. But, anyway that's not the point here, what I really want to know is, does Gaara knows about this?"

"Kankurou, I don't want to upset him more with a small news of us being attacked. They might just be missing nins or wandering bandits. Just some lowly trash"

He crossed his arms in a reserved manner. "Yeah, but that lowly trash 'trashed' you guys real good. Besides, those type of scum, as lowly they may seem, they would still be wearing their forehead protector. Judging from the kid's descriptions, your goons seemed too 'groomed' don't cha think?"

Temari tried to digest his statement, before urging him to continue. "So, one of the logical possibilities is that someone paid them to attack us. What benefit would this person gets if we got killed or injured and what is his motive?"

"Exactly. And, Gaara's currently torn between trusting his own council or our alliances right now"

"Or, he couldn't trust both"

"What? What makes you say that?"

"Really, Kankurou. How many times have I told you about _'sharpening your kama at sunset'_?You should be honing your political analysis or the very least, your BRAIN"

Kankurou scoffed at her. "Cut to the chase, Ms Brilliant"

"Listen, twerp. If our alliance, namely Iwa, because Konoha is certainly out of the case here, wants to disrupt Suna, they certainly been having _someone_ from the inside that's helping them. If not, how on earth did they ever found out about us getting here? Correct?"

"Yeah, your exactly right" Kankurou nodded keenly, once the facts set in. "I need to tell Baki about this. Boy, this could proved his expectations right"

"Prove Sensei's right about what?"

"Apparently, Baki had been contemplating upon his suspicions of a fellow council member. No one knows this except me and him-" He looked at Temari. "-and you. That explains why the council had been undergoing some minor crisis and it seemed to be too much for Gaara to handle, although he won't admit it, Tem. Besides, I need to tell Baki to place some of our ANBUs to patrol the concerned areas. We can't take chances of civilians getting hurt"

"Hey, is he the big, burly looking guy with bushy beard?"

"That council member? Heck no!" He sighed languidly. "You'll find out soon enough, I'm not gonna tell you" With that, Kankurou turned on his heels and walked towards the gate.

"What are you hiding?" She asked as she bent down to pick up the Kyodai Sensu.

"Come on. We need to get to the office. Gaara expects us to be there right now"

"I'm not finished with you yet. Why do the men that I knew keep running away and hiding something from me!" Kankurou turned his head around and shrugged. "What did I do?"

"Aargh! Never mind"

"Relax, sis. Stop acting like your ass is on fire. By the way, I'm still pissed off with yesterday" He bit his tongue. 'Oh shit'

"Kan-Ku-Rou. Better run"

And he doesn't need to turn around to see that Temari had her fan spread wide, face contorted with anger and wrath, hot on his trail. He put his agility to the test by disappearing into a cloud of smoke. An angry Temari's wrath is enough to make ten demons pledge into sainthood. And Lord, have mercy on the people of Suna. For Kankurou had awakened a 'monster' to 'terrorize' the citizens today. Even Sabaku No Gaara couldn't help him with this one.

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During the meeting, much to Gaara's delight everything was in the way they should be. His subordinates acting professionally, discussing in a much calmer ambiance compared to yesterday. Having Temari and Kankurou's presence had actually helped him in having a cool and composed feeling. Perhaps, he refused to be seen as susceptible in front of his siblings.

A big, burly man with a bushy beard that goes by the name Keishijiro gave Temari a warm, fatherly smile. "Temari-san, we're very honored that you could be with here today" She blinked her eyes surprisingly at his greeting. "Thank you…er…" She bit her lips, trying to recall the man's name. "Keishijiro-san. I'm quite happy to be back in Suna myself. Besides, Konoha will always give our support to Suna" She laughed silently to herself. 'Pheww! What a close call'

The lips of one certain man cringed when she mentioned the word 'our'. 'So, you really enjoyed living in another village huh, princess?' He muttered wordlessly. He was actually surprised to see that the rep from Konoha is none other than the sister of the Kazekage.

His eyes never left the perfect image of the former Suna's most precious kunoichi. His last encounter with the pig-tailed blonde left a scar on his abs and an unhealed wound in his heart. Back then, she was a feisty, spitfire wild cat. But now…his icy stare drank in her striking, exotic beauty, despite the small bruise on her left cheek and several fresh scars on her neck and the junctures of her collarbone. His gaze went lower.

'My, you've grown into an exquisite creature, Temari-chan'.

The folds of her dark purple kimono clung tightly to her body with the violet sash pulled extremely tight at her waist, hugging every curves on her divine build. Her dewy, sun-kissed skin glowed radiantly.

His eyes darkened when it settled on the platinum wedding band on her right ring finger.

'Damn it'

Temari, on the other hand couldn't shake away the shivers of feelings that she's being watched by somebody.

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Kankurou's hands were itching to grab a kunai and slit somebody's throat. 'How dare that prick checking out my sister in front of us!' His small green eyes narrowed into slits as he saw Mitsurugi Haruka, who is shamelessly ogling Temari right under his and Gaara's nose.

The talented puppet controller's anger was boiling deep inside. It is not because of the fact that Mitsurugi was a renowned lady-killer, but more like he was and will always be one of the few reasons why Temari hated their father. He's a blunder in the Sand Siblings' history. Since they were really, really young, that bastard's been trying to get his sister by using their father. What? That prick thought by marrying Temari, he'll inherit the Kage title. Such a sorry excuse. Dammit. Their sister is a noble lady, not an object for power-hungry, political sharks to possess.

The meeting somehow ended without any complications. Temari went to have a discussion with Gaara, and until she disappeared from his sight, Kankurou waited patiently against the door.

When he saw the back of a certain person, he lashed out straight away.

"Stay away from her, punk!"

Haruka turned around and stood straight in front of him. Basically, he was inches taller than the younger shinobi. But, Kankurou is not a person to be underestimated by any aspect.

Haruka stared back with a gleam of menace in his eyes, in contrast with his somewhat angelic face. "Kankurou-kun? Good morning to you too"

"Stop pretending that you don't know what I'm talking about. Stay away from my sister. She doesn't remember who you are, and it's best to stay that way. Thank the heavens that she's forgotten about you, Mitsurugi. She may be softer, but nevertheless stronger than the girl you used to disrespect. I don't know what your intentions with her, and I don't intend to. FYI, she's married to one of the Hokage's prominent advisors and she already had two kids"

"And, your point is?"

"Don't ever try to ruin the perfect picture. Or else…"

Haruka let out a small, mocking laugh. "You must be out of your mind, Kankurou-kun. Tell me, since when do you start to meddle with other people's affairs?"

The kabuki-painted shinobi scorned in reply. "Since you dared to show your shameless face in Suna"

"And what can you do about that? Gaara-sama is the only person with the power to relinquish 'hindrances' and you know that your opinions and your brother's are like oil and water"

"Don't be so great about having Gaara on your good side. We'll be watching you"

"Are you envying the reality that your brother trusted my judgment better than yours?"

"In your dreams" Kankurou seethed with anger upon seeing the bastard's ignorant, smug expression. "You better watch your back, punk" He stomped away, venting out his anger at the nearby wooden poles in the route.

"You should be watching your back too, Kankurou" Haruka hissed back, out from the other shinobi's hearing range.

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Later that night, inside a grim, dimly-lit room stood a figure facing the window sill. A loud thud was heard from behind when a man, sporting a new bruise on his left eye was thrown to the floor by another big, giant of a man. Blood was dripping from the lying man's mouth with his hands clutching tightly at his abs, eyes clenching in painful remorse.

"That's enough, Hyottoko" The stoic figure spoke with a stern tone. The giant man draws back from where he stood to one dark corner of the room.

"Do you know what you've done wrong, Takeda?"

"…" The injured could just stare at his superior, helplessly from the corners of his eye.

"I told you to give them a fair warning, not to kill them! And, to top it off, one of your men is injured. That could give out your identities! How stupid can you be!"

"Gomen…taichou" Takeda stood in a kneeling position at the feet of the figure.

The mysterious silhouette turned his back towards his minion. His spiky, tousled platinum colored-hair looked slick under the moonlight. His eyes, the color of wine gleamed with a deadly glare as it reflects the ray of luminosity. At that moment Takeda trembled in fear, because his master for once looked like a devil incarnate, with a wicked grin ready to send him to hell.

"Konoha shinobis are not to be taken lightly, although their deaths would be a favorable option but there would be a later time for that" He glared at all the occupants in the room, as he muttered under his breath. "At least, I want one of them alive"

He walked across the room, where a specially crafted chess set stood. The pieces were organized perfectly but the awkward thing is there's only one side of the game where the pieces of the opponent side were missing. His long fingers touched several pawns on the head and said, "The 'pawns' are moving according to our plan, but still we need to urge them to be more forceful"

"How should we do that, taichou?" Another unidentified man spoke up.

"Cut the food rations or water supply. Use your head, Seta" The man named Seta nodded in understanding.

He fixed his gaze back to the board, moving some pieces forward. "The 'Bishop' and the 'Knight' have started to bare their fangs at me. They would be an obstruction, but we wouldn't have to worry about that, as long as we keep low. Besides, I have the 'King' under my hands. Apparently, there's another piece had caught my eye…"

Hyottoko raised an eyebrow upon his statement. "What do you have in mind, taichou?"

"The 'Queen'. A princess that had blossomed into a very beautiful queen indeed…" He picked up the queen piece, grasping it tightly in his hand as he held it in front of his face.

"This piece will be 'played' by my own hands" He broke into a sinister grin, as he imagined the real image of the said piece, consisting of shattered memories showing golden strands of tumbling hair, pale pink, yet luscious lips and dark, alluring turquoise eyes. All the broken recollection combined to form a very perfect picture of Sabaku No Temari.

Yes, that's the second thing he's after. His own personal prize.

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_End Of Chapter 7_

_To Be Continued…_

Next Chapter…

_Temari and Shikamaru both had been doing separate 'night visits', but the question is to whom? The couple later learnt of how much important they were to each other over the distance between them. Still, when you usually realized the truth, something will come up to shatter the new hope that you just built._

A/N : (shivers) Gomen-gomen, minna-san. Shikamaru's not featured in this chapter. You see, there's so much things happening in Suna that I don't want to bore you with already boring writing. I promise, the first thing you see next chapter is Shikamaru….'s mom. But, he'll be there. See ya! Take care.

Love,

ardenilia


	8. Between The Distance

IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLES

By ardenilia

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns Uzumaki Naruto & Company.

Author's Note: I'm so guilty……work held me back from writing for you guys. Ever since I started working, I really don't find as much free time that I used to have before I graduated just to write. As funny as it may seem to be, I thought that I was losing my muse or my 'mojo' and that's what had caused the sudden hiatus. Seriously, back at that time I thought that I've lost my spark and inspiration to write. (ardenilia dodges flying vegetables and sardine cans from the readers) and I totally needed somebody to slap me back into the writers seat.

Therefore I wanna deeply thank **LaZyEnErGeTiC** (thanks for the ideas, dear!), **wowowee33**, **Gaa Saku**, **Rama chan**, **TaurenLeaf**, **MV**, **MetalDragonFX**, **Sabaku-No-Ardent**, **n**, **andi**, **Kazama Hasaki**, **nara Shikaku**, **Fuebi aka hobo number 5** (easy there with the doll. Poor Kagome…heheh), **Logophobia** (I'm truly honored with your words), **breanna**, **Fumiye**, **suna-girl**, **OtakuStone**, **Itachisan77** (thank you for your thoughtfulness), **Wind Scythe**, **crazzyakima**, **sexyinumama**, **GourdBreaker** (you've made me feel special and happy….hmm, I never expect that someone would admire Haruka's character) and **Cloud-watcher22** (oh goodness –blushes- I hope I didn't let you down with this chapter!) for your patience and never-ending support and reviews for the previous chapter. Thank you so much. The experience is priceless to me. And it goes the same to my other readers and my very special people such as Cy (I know I've mentioned you before but hey, I still want to!), Cazamanga and Jewel Green.

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**Part 8 : Between The Distance**

_**Konoha…**_

It was just past eight in the morning when Yoshino decided to initiate her laid-out plans of the day. One of the few things she happened to fix inside her mental planner would be making breakfast, seeing Shikaku off to work, fixed the kitchen cabinet, bathe the kids and do the laundry. And after the first three were (almost) done, (that's because she had realized that a ninja can't do _everything, _and that includes hardware. Instead of fixing, she broke the cabinet door in half) she ushered both Hikaru and Kusanagi to the shower while she managed the laundry at the same time.

It's been two days since that night and Yoshino had hoped that the children would forget about it. But it seems that it got worst when her son came over for dinner the next day. Hikaru refused to have dessert, which Yoshino was very sure her granddaughter loves her home-made peach and cream pudding while Kusanagi preferred to sit on Shikaku's lap than his father's, much to Shikamaru's dismay. But he was too laid-back to show that it bothered him just a little bit.

"_I never knew how much I've missed your cooking, mom." Shikamaru leant against the chair after taking in the last bite of his sashimi._

"_Is that a compliment, Shikamaru? I'm surprised."_

"_Aww, mom. Seriously, I do."_

_Yoshino stood up to fetch the dessert and after seeing his wife went out of their sight, Shikaku cleared his throat and started to speak in a whispered voice, "How's everything, Son?"_

"_Dad, why are you whispering? Mom's not around."_

_The older man's eyes squinted in frustration. He thought that his son understood what he was trying to ask._

"_Everything's fine, dad. Why?"_

"_Everything?"_

"_Yeah, everything."_

"_You know, if you have any problems you can tell me."_

"_What makes you think I have a problem?"_

_Shikamaru received a threatening glare in return. "Okay, I will when I do have one. Don't get mad at me. Is it me or is there something bothering everyone here?"_

_But before his father could reply, his mother appeared again into the dining room with the usual (but nevertheless scary) smile on her face. "I hoped that you could stay the night. Your kids have been missing you so much."_

"_Uhm…sorry, mom. I can't. I've promised to get back at the office as soon as possible. You know, Rokudaime couldn't stay longer since Hinata-sama is due in a few weeks time. That's why I've decided to help cover some of his works. Hikaru-chan, Kusanagi-chan, I am so sorry but I promise I'll make it up to you later."_

_Hikaru remained stoic while her little brother sulked in reply to their father's explanation. The little blonde girl fidgeted with the desert spoon she's holding and it never reached her mouth at all. Not even once. Then suddenly, with a disappointed look, Hikaru cried with all her heart, "We want mommy, we don't need you like you don't need her!"_

_The adults were stunned by the action of the five year old girl._

_Shikamaru stood up immediately, but before he could utter any word in defend, his daughter ran away towards the stairs and seconds later the inimitable sound of a slamming door ensued._

_The surprised expression on his face changed into his usual frown just as quick as a lightning. There's definitely something wrong with everyone. "Thanks for the dinner, mom. I really had to go." With a sigh, he walked towards his son, planted a kiss on top of his small head and left the place, letting his parents further speculating the worst._

"_Dear…"_

"_I know Yoshino, I know."_

Hikaru poke at her legs gently. "Grandma!"

"Yes, Hikaru-chan…"

"What are we going to do today, Grandma?"

"Today, we're going to your house and I'm going to help clean and tidy up the house when your mommy isn't around."

The little girl jumped in excitement. "We're going back? Yay! I want to get Tsuki's friend and get Yuki here and..." Hikaru went on and on, with Yoshino's smile fixed at her only granddaughter. 'She must've been talking about her stuffed animals.'

Afterwards, the three of them walked together towards the young Nara family residence. A sight of a well-kept place greeted their arrival and the moment they step inside the house, Yoshino admired her daughter-in-law's taste and skills in interior designing silently. The house adopted the conservative yet mesmerizing Moroccan theme from the teak wood furniture to the artistic and abstract carpet designs and accessories. The color combination was of the Sand's originality; an earth-color base nuanced within the desert undertones. A perfect blend of homely ambience just for anyone, even if they were not from the village hidden within the golden sands.

The children ran to their rooms leaving Yoshino to manage the kitchen and the laundry first. Soon, after most of the tasks were done, there was one last place left for her to tidy up was the master bedroom. The room was not a place that Yoshino would consider to venture into since Shikamaru and Temari were a married couple after all, and married couples appreciate their precious privacy, even from their own parents.

The elder woman shook her head gently. She was fully aware of her son's attitude and perspective towards cleaning (or everything else for that matter) plus, without Temari around to keep the place in check, only Kami knows what happened to their bedroom let alone their house from the time when she left.

In the midst of dusting, she happened to be distracted by the wedding picture of her only son. Yes, she truly believed (although reluctantly at first) that her son and the Suna kunoichi were a match made in heaven. Their wedding portrait would be enough proof that this was more than right. Both were wearing a pair of traditional wedding yukata with Shikamaru hugging Temari from behind, being so much in love and bliss. Her son looked different, albeit handsome when he tied his hair down for the first time.

A white envelope that was placed neatly at the foot of the frame caught her sight. From the looks of it, the content had remained untouched. It was obvious that Shikamaru didn't realize or if he did, he didn't bother to open it at all.

_"To my beloved,_

_From the moment I decided to be with you, I knew it was the right decision. I don't care what other people say or think because that's why we're together after all. We don't need the others to pass judgment on us. All we ever needed was each other. I don't know how you have come to think that our marriage is something that is needed to be reevaluated after all that we've been through. I've always thought that I could be the first you would unburden your heart to, but I guess... I will always be the last person you seek. This fact however painful it may be, I admit I have to accept. I can never take her place in your heart._

_Shikamaru, there's something that I wanted you to know before I left, but in this condition, I don't think it's appropriate to be mentioned of through writing. But all I can say, our life is really going to change and it's up to you whether to accept it or not. This is not just about your own future, but mine as well._

_You and the children are the greatest things that have ever happened in my life and I refuse to let them go away. I hope we'll overcome this problem when I'll get back..._

_And please, tell the children I love them so much._

_Loving you forever,_

_Temari"_

Yoshino's hand trembled nonetheless after reaching the last word in the letter that happened to be her daughter-in-law's name.

It was so obvious that their marriage was on the rocks and Yoshino's mind couldn't help but to deduct one of the main causes on the first impulse.

_There's a third person between them._

Whoever that person was, she's really asking for trouble.

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_**Suna…**_

After several knocks, the door opened and somebody walked into the huge office room of the Kazekage. Without turning his back from the glass window he was facing, he spoke in a stern and stiffly note, "What do you want? I've said that I don't want to be disturbed."

Before the person could answer, sand had starter to swirl around the young Kage before rising in a very dangerous height, meant to warn the 'visitor'. If they value their life, they should've never come near his office from the first place.

"Relax, Gaara. It's just me," an all familiar and comforting voice spoke up from behind.

Gaara turned his head around. The strains of his muscles seemed to loose a little bit after recognizing the person's identity. "Temari?"

The wife of Konoha's acclaimed genius approached her younger brother and sat on the front end of his table. In her hands was a thin file with several papers inside it. "Yeah. You're so tense. Wanna talk about it?"

The red-haired shinobi remained speechless. "…"

"Okay, then. Actually, I've come here to submit the official report of investigation by Lee-san and his team."

"Just put it on the table. I'll see to it later."

"Alright. You know Gaara…you can find me if you need talk about some things that you can't talk about to someone else."

When she turned around to make her leave, Gaara's words stopped her in her tracks, "I need your help, Temari."

Her mouth curved into a warm, gentle smile when she faced her brother. "You know I won't let you down, little brother." Years had passed by but still Gaara believed that Temari can always be the person he trusts with everything. At least he knew he didn't have to hide his true emotions whenever his only sister is around.

It had already been two hours and she had been listening attentively to Gaara's worries and insecurities. At least, there's someone who confided in her unlike a certain man that she knew.

"Gaara, are you afraid to get married?"

"No."

"I know it can be quite unsettling if you're not marrying for love."

"Love?" The word was repeated slowly through his pale, thin lips. No…he no longer was the young boy who loves no one but himself. He was blessed with a loving family even though it took him more than a decade of traumatic childhood experience to be granted with the perfect family he had yearned for since he was born. And he had the village. He loves the village more so than before. What he wouldn't give for the price of peace? Even if it meant being tied to someone he hardly knew for the rest of his life.

But, after what Haruka-san recommended to him yesterday…he rubbed the sides of his head gently. Making either one decision would eventually place Sunagakure's safety at risk. But all he could confirmed was his decision would be for the benefit of the village.

After a knock once, the door was opened by their other sibling, with the usual goofy look on his face. Temari sighed. Oh great, the comic relief came just when they were getting serious here. As if sensing the indistinctly edgy atmosphere inside the office, Kankurou blatantly inquired as he strode across the room acting like he didn't care at all. "What's with the face, Temari?"

Gaara stayed calm while Temari jeered in reply, "You always like to barge in at the wrong time."

"What? Am I not related to you guys?" He promptly found a spot on a long, maroon-colored couch nearby the Kazekage's desk.

"Well, you are…if you could only stop being the joker in the family for once."

"Hey, I can be serious if I want to alright?"

"Yeah, right. By the way, what are you doing here, Kankurou?"

"Aah…I thought you'd never ask. Gaara, someone's here to see you."

"Hnn…I'm in the middle of a discussion right now. That person can wait." His half-lidded eyes looked away to a random direction, silently hoping that his older brother would get the hint that he was already tired of handling major issues and did not need to entertain another subject of that matter.

Stifling a laugh, Kankurou raise an eyebrow slyly. "I don't think you want to make this person wait. Aina-san, would you come in?"

The name triggered a part of Temari's memory. 'Isn't she Gaara's…?'

"I'm sorry if this is not a good time, Gaara-sama," a soft and polite voice came from behind the door, followed by a timid figure dressed in a traditional pink floral kimono. The young girl's fair and vibrant face showed hints that she might be years younger than the three siblings. Her long, shiny black hair was tied into a low ponytail with the ends cascading down her left shoulder. At first sight, Temari somehow could see the similarities between the young girl and her friend, Hinata. But what differentiate her was that she could clearly see the strength and resilience within the young girl's violet-colored eyes.

"…" Being Gaara, if he was surprised…well, he didn't look like it. But instead, his eyes lingered around the young heiress from Iwa, absorbing in every detail of his future bride's face. Just mentioning the word 'bride' had actually been enough to send a creeping blush onto his face. Gaara quickly hide his embarrassment from being known by facing the window of his office…yet again.

"I needed to see you. Anou…" The younger girl had noticed a person that she had never met before, who happened to be Gaara-sama's one and only older sister. She turned into Temari's direction and slowly bowed down in respect. "I'm sorry. How rude of me for interrupting without an appropriate introduction. I am Kurosawa Aina from Iwagakure No Sato."

"Eh, you don't have to be so formal Aina-san. I'm Temari and as you can see, I happened to be related to these two….heh."

"Oi! Don't even start, Temari!" Kankurou crossed his arms and pretended to look furious.

"Hah, I bet Aina-san would've loved to hear about that one time when you tried to…"

"Hey!"

"Don't mind him, Aina-san."

"Oh no. It's no trouble at all. It's really an honor to be able to meet Temari-san at last. I've heard a lot about you from Kankurou-san and Gaara-sama. I admire your skills as a kunoichi and I'm proud to be your acquaintance."

Temari smiled to herself. These are what you could expect from a nobility; well-conduct and filled with poise. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. Hmm…although I think it would be better if you could call me onee-san. After all, we're gonna be a family very soon, right?" She winked at the younger girl, causing her to go red in the face and Gaara's face to turn a shade deeper, fortunately unnoticeable to the others.

Kankurou cleared his throat and pulled at his sister's arm while saying, "I just remember that I need to talk about something with Temari. We'll catch ya later, bro."

Temari's initial reaction was to smack his brother on the head for the sudden action but after realizing his true and maybe good intentions, she leisurely pushed both of them towards the door and posted a quick glance to their youngest brother who was still standing like a statuette. "Be good, Gaara…heheh."

The door was closed by a pack of sand that instant and all that was heard was the laughter between Kankurou and Temari. "I never knew you could be _that _evil, Temari. Thank God he doesn't have a tendency to kill us that easily anymore."

She held down a cough while trying to speak between the snorts and laughter. "I don't know…but I swear, I never ever saw Gaara blush before. Ooh…that's totally priceless."

Temari truly believed that she didn't mean to tease her youngest brother who also happened to be the leader of the village.

But still…this might be the one and only time she would be able to joke around with her brothers, especially Gaara. That's because Kankurou had already found a woman that he put above him. And soon, she will have to let Gaara go as well and Temari hoped that his future wife would be able to fulfill his every desire and give him the completion of the universal knowledge clarifying why men and women were created for each other. She didn't deserve the right to be their only female figure anymore; the one who they would look upon in everything.

Why did she felt a very heavy burden had just been dropped on her chest instead of being lifted that instant?

Wait. What was she talking about just now?

Oh damn. That was so sappy.

Bloody hormones.

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He walked through the deserted streets of the village, pacing on a very steady speed. Not too slow or fast either. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dark navy slacks, trying to act natural as if it was just any normal day. It's not like he had something that needed to be done urgently…or someone to come home to that night. Even at the office today before the clock struck five, Kiba had already disappeared and rushed towards the hospital to fetch his pink-haired doctor-wife. While Chouji stayed a little bit longer just to give him company but he insisted that his best-friend should make his way home too for he knew that his former team-mate just couldn't wait to go back to his family and to a nice home-cooked meal prepared by his lovely wife, Mirae.

After the others had left, the only person that chose to stay was Neji. Somehow, he felt that they were actually in the same boat. Probably because they were two 'off-duty' husbands and their wives happened to go on the same mission at a place which was three days away.

_The former branch member of the Hyuuga family looked up from the paper once in a while and every time he did so, another line would appear on his colleague's forehead. He had been having some thoughts these past few days and it does one way or another concerned the Nara heir. He had been having questions out of curiosity but he knew better than to snoop into other people's private matters. But if he could've done something to help, it might actually be worth it. They're best friends and don't best friends help each other when they're in trouble? Clearing his throat, he said, "You know, Tenten and Temari are going to be back by the end of this week."_

_Shikamaru stood silent as if Neji's words had never reached his hearing range at all. His right hand moved steadily in a rhythm against the file he's looking at the moment. His pen scratched heavily on the paper, and the sound grew louder and louder._

_But Neji was someone who won't give up just as easily. "I'm not trying to be a nosey-parker but I can't just pretend that there's nothing wrong with you guys when it's so obvious that there is."_

_The shadow controller's action halted that instant. He let go of the stationery he was holding and pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a weighty sigh. "Thank you for your concern, Neji but I just felt comfortable not thinking about what is happening in my life right now because I don't even know where on earth did I went wrong. There's something not right with my wife and suddenly my own kids 'hate' me. "_

_The coffee-haired Jounin rested his back against the leather office chair. "When was the last time you tucked your kids into bed or read them a story before they go to sleep? Or when was the last time you ever looked at your wife straight in the eyes and tell her how much you love her? Don't get me wrong, Shikamaru. I'm not trying to judge you or telling you how to manage your family, hnn…I'm not a perfect father and husband myself but I never stop trying to being one and I never will be."_

_Now that those words had came out from Neji's lips, Shikamaru slowly realized some of his possible errors that he unintentionally done in the past few days ever since he returned from his last mission. And he and Temari didn't even sleep in the same room from the time when she threw him out of their bed that night after he got back from the bar. But he deserved the right to be upset after she nagged at him before…right?_

_Or not._

_Gah, troublesome._

_Just when he's not thinking about it and he did actually found a way to concentrate on the paper works especially when it demanded his attentions the most._

'_Much more important than compared to his family?'_

_Neji moved at his seat slowly after closing the last file in hands and dropped it into the 'OUT' box on his table. "I'm going home."_

" _Matte, Neji."_

"_?"_

"_If you were me, what would you do?"_

"_I can't just tell you what I think because our situations are different. All I could say is that you should have hopes for your future together. You guys had come along way to get where you are right now. Have you forgotten that your wife is still a Sunagakure villager in heart? She left everything she has in Suna, her brothers, her birthplace so she could be with you in Konoha. She got no one else who she could truly rely upon here except you. Think about it."_

"Mummy, mummy. It's Uncle Shikamaru!"

A small, chirpy voice snatched his attention away from his musings. When he lifted his face up, he couldn't stop from letting a smile graced his lips. Three familiar faces greeted his view. "Hey, girls."

"What's with the face, Shikamaru?" The blonde-haired woman asked in a really friendly way.

He shrugged nonchalantly but still retaining his smile. "Nothing. Where were you girls from?"

"I went to pick up a few things at the store. I know it's already late but I got carried away with the chores and the kids."

"I never expect you to be forgetful, Ino."

His statement was greeted with an amused laughter by his former teammate. "And you're not a person who'd like to bother commenting on other people."

"Heh, I'll walk you girls home, okay?"

"Would you stay for dinner with us?"

"Ino, I've been troubling you for the last three days. I can certainly fix my own dinner."

"You looked like hell and there's no way I'm going to walk away without doing anything to help you."

"Looks like I found it pointless to argue with you. Kami knows I already had enough predicaments with females in my life."

"Stop acting like an old man, Shikamaru. You're being such a drama king." Ino nudged him gently on the shoulders, causing the latter to glare back at the former.

"Uncle Shikamaru, can you carry me?," Haruhi, one of Ino's twin daughters tugged at Shikamaru's legs only to be retorted by her sister, Hani. Ignoring their mother's warning, both of them continued to whine and giggle playfully around him. Giving in, he held out his hands and both of the twins jumped excitedly into his sturdy arms. It seemed like Shikamaru certainly had a way with females vying for his attention.

Damn. He missed holding Hikaru like this. Apparently his only daughter was trying to avoid him. And she's only five! He totally didn't want to know what would happen in the next ten years when she will be going through that "phase".

On the other hand, Ino had never knew the real reason of why Shikamaru wasn't that enthusiastic to drop by at his parents' house ever since Temari-san left and knowing him, it'll be too troublesome to talk about. Besides, he had been helping her since Shino went away on a mission; at least this was something that she could do for her best friend.

And never too, did she know that her benign intentions would be misunderstood by another.

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The solitary moon adorned the velvet skies, witnessing another lone figure kneeling down in front of a miniature marble shrine which from the looks of it had actually been built by the hands of a small child. The figure, who was covered in a dark robe placed a humble portion of offering on the cold, stony surface. The person glanced around from her right to her left and satisfied upon knowing that she was all alone on top of the grassy hill, she pulled down the hood and her face was revealed in front of the make-shift headstone. In the dimly-lit environment, the outline of the four quadruple ties was hard to be mistaken for someone else other than the eldest of the once fearsome trio from the hidden village of the sand.

"Forgive me, momma. I was a little late tonight. That's because I had to help Gaara at the office today." A beam appeared on her heart-shaped face. "He's an excellent and responsible leader. There's no other person suited to carry the Kazekage title besides him. I believed that if you're still here, you would've been proud of him. You know, your youngest son is all grown up and he'll be married soon. But…" A hand swept away a few dried leaves and they fell to the ground with small crackles, before following a trail of warm, arid gust. "…he's afraid. I know he's troubled momma. If only he would give himself a chance to let his heart decides, even for once."

She would usually pay a visit to her mother's shrine every time she returns to her village and in every opportunity she had. Until now, only Kankurou remains the only person who knew of this. No one else was aware of her covert trips. No. Not even her own husband. It was because she believed that Shikamaru might not understand the significance of her mother's existence in her life. She didn't want him to compare between Karura and Yoshino. That would be unfair to both of them.

And for all these times, she thought that Shikamaru couldn't trust her enough to confide in her about everything while she had been doing the same thing to him.

Now, who is the real charlatan in this situation?

"It just seems that he will finally have someone he could share his life with and maybe, I'm quite saddened with the fact that he won't need me any longer. Not that much. Kankurou and Gaara will always be my baby brothers and I don't want not to be needed by them as I'm beginning to feel with my husband."

Her hands instinctively went to clutch at her stomach while taking in a deep breath. "I really don't know what I should do. These babies…they were unplanned but I want them nevertheless. I want Shikamaru to accept and love them like I do but what if he…I don't want to lose either one but I'm so scared to even think about the possibilities." Rubbing her belly gently, she clasped her hands together to make a silent prayer for her late mother's safety and guidance.

'Please help me protect our family.'

A faint rustle of dried leaves among the trees alarmed her senses. Turning her head around, a tall and dark figure stood against a big birch tree, casually crossing his arms while fixing his gaze sharply at her. "It's surely a beautiful night for a walk or…maybe a secret 'meeting' perhaps?"

"Who the hell are you?" Her turquoise eyes glared back at the unidentified figure. Who does this bastard thinks he is?

"Aah…you still had that fiery temper of yours, Princess." The uninvited guest took a step forward and under the moonlight, his platinum-colored hair and sharp saintly features came in view.

Shit. 'Don't tell me that he's…' It appears that, the face belonged to someone whom she wished she had never met in her whole entire life.

The _devil_ has return.

"What are you doing here, Mitsurugi? I thought you would've rot in hell by now."

"Aah…your words are rather 'endearing'. God, I missed those times when we used to be togeth-" His words were caught dead when a kunai flew right beside his face, just missing a few inches and ended up hitting a random tree behind him.

His thin lips curved into a smirk.

She still hasn't changed one bit.

"I don't know how or why you're here but go away. Go away before I kill you and I swear you won't come back this time. And just to remind you, we've never even been together and it's only in your sick head."

"Relax, Temari-chan. It's not good to get all riled up. It's bad for your health and especially for the little ones that you're carrying right now."

He overheard her private 'conversation' before. "You…bastard."

Haruka took a few steps forward with his eyes still persistent in resting on the fuming effigy of the former Suna kunoichi. "Ever since we were young, I always believed that I was destined for great things. The village, the leadership…you. Everything here should've been mine. The land, the Kage title, the power, the wealth and the family that we would've had together. They were supposed to be mine, not to that good-for-nothing brother and also that husband of yours."

"Don't you dare talk about Gaara like that and don't ever talk ill about my husband when you don't even know who he is!"

"Oh, I know who he is alright. The infamous Nara Shikamaru from the well-known shadow controlling clan from Konoha. Who's too busy with his work that he didn't even notice that he's been neglecting his wife."

"How the hell did you know?!"

He clutched at his heart dramatically as if mocking her question. "I've been watching you for days, Temari-chan. Your mother wasn't the only one who had been listening to her daughter's grieves and heartbreaks in these past few days."

"Mind your own business, Mitsurugi."

"If you hadn't refused my proposal before, you wouldn't be feeling unhappy right now would you, princess?"

"Shut up. I rather die as an old spinster than spending the rest of my lifetime tied to a man like you. I know you're totally up to no good. I swear if you ever come near my family I'll make you regret it so much until you beg to the Lord that you would never be born in other lifetimes."

He chuckled deeply while shaking his head. "Don't be so confident with what you're saying now because towards the end, I'm pretty sure that you're the one who's gonna do the begging."

'This cocky son-of-a-'

Another smaller figure jumped so suddenly in front of Haruka, with a kunai clutched in his hand. "What do you want with Temari-san, you jerk?"

"Konohamaru?"

The young boy stood rigid in a crouching position, filling in the distance between the conniving viper and Temari. Earlier on he had noticed Temari's movements through the mansion's back entrance. At first he thought it was unnecessary for him to follow her but after he sensed another chakra pattern tailing his teammate with a threatening intent, he was relieved that he made the right decision; hiding in the shadows until her stalker made the first move.

The older man stared angrily at the teenager. "This is none of your concern, brat."

"I won't let any harm happened to my comrade and I'll do anything to protect them even if it meant that I have to kill someone like you."

"Huh…I'm not going to waste my time and effort on you, boy. And princess…" His wine-colored orbs gleamed aggressively as it clashed with her shining aqua eyes. "…you won't be seeing the last of me."

And his taunting stature waned away in a flash.

The young Konoha Chuunin turned his head towards the opposite direction and started to inquire, "Temari-sa-"

"-It's a long story. Don't ask, Konohamaru. Don't ask."

Konohamaru guaranteed at that instant, for the first time he could see agitation inside Temari's eyes right before it disappeared in a blink.

Temari-san wasn't someone who would be afraid of just about anyone but he was pretty sure that Temari's body trembled a little bit not long ago after that man left.

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He leant against the dining chair while crossing his arms within a steady breathing. His eyes had grown accustomed to seeing the floral prints all around the white coffee mug ever since it was placed on top of the table. He'd been staring at the porcelain in a very long period of time until he could actually count how many roses were there around it and just give him another few seconds, he could definitely guess the diameter of the mug.

"I gave you the coffee for drinking not to have a staring contest with it, Shikamaru," Ino's voice sounded from behind. She walked into the kitchen and reached for a yellow frilly apron hanged against the wall and put it on unhurriedly. While doing so, she spared him a glance from the corners of her crystal-blue eyes and asked, "Do you want me to heat the coffee up for you?"

"Nah, I'm great. Do you want some help with the dishes?" he asked back.

She tied her hair into a bun and started to turn on the faucet. "Don't worry. I got it since the girls are asleep. If not, you would really have to help me sing them a lullaby or read them a story or something like that."

"That is what you have to do every night?"

"Oh no. Not me. I can't sing. Oh god, I sounded horrible but Shino does, though."

"Oh wow. Shino-…sings?"

"Hey, my man has the most romantic voice in the world but don't tell him I told you this when he gets back."

"He does huh?"

"The girls always have their father tucked them into bed because Shino likes to tell them a story before they go to sleep. And then when Shino goes away on a mission, I have a really hard time to take over his role and in the same time trying to retain mine. It's not that easy, you know."

"It's not, huh?," Shikamaru drawled lazily but deep within his mind, he never knew that Ino had to go through a really tough time when Shino wasn't around.

'And now, do you still think that your wife doesn't deserve a break?' Trying hard to ignore the truth and to suppress the tell-tale signs of guilt, Shikamaru diverted his attention back to Ino, who were still talking unfortunately.

"Yes, seriously. But to tell you the truth, there were actually times when I felt like breaking down because I just can't do this parenting job alone when Shino's gone but I know I had to be strong because of our children and especially because of the love and faith that I have in the man that I married."

"I can never understand you women."

"Hey, we don't understand you men either, but we never grew tired of trying to do so. But I think I understand what Temari is feeling. I understand how tiring it could get to manage the house and the family all by yourself when your husband had to go to work and I know how nice it'll be to have a shoulder that you can lie on after one long, tiring day instead of an empty bed."

Shikamaru scoffed in response. "And tell me, what did you force your husband to do, Ino?"

"You made it sounded like Shino was a slave. C'mon Shikamaru, can you loosen your grip on your 'pillar of sexism' for once? I'm trying to help you here, jeez."

"Okay, okay. Sorry, " muttered Shikamaru while holding his hands up in front of him as a sign of mere defeat. (temporary that is)

"Well…," she continued. "I really missed the way he just sits there, holding me in his arms-"

"Oh man, I'm not listening to this. This is sooo wrong."

"Hey, I'm not gonna tell you about my sex life you idiot! What would I get if I ever give out the juicy details of our bedroom stories to a moron like you?"

"Your own sex manual? And instead of the 'birds and the bees', you could name it the 'flowers and the bugs' instead."

Ino knocked slowly on her forehead as if that act would help to soothe out her incoming migraine. "Gah…Get real, Shikamaru?"

"Okay, alright. Sorry. Back to what you were saying, Mrs. Aburame."

The blonde-haired kunoichi's gaze softened at that very moment despite trying to hold down the urge to smack her best friend's head for being so annoying. "Now, Shino just hold me and sometimes, we don't really need to talk simply because he might know that I'm too tired to even bother to converse. But when I do feel like talking, he would just… listen. You know even if he pretended that he was really into hearing what I was saying but having him there beside me is already enough. And he's full of surprises, believe it or not. He knows how much I love daisies that he makes sure that he would leave even a single flower to make up for the time when he had to leave early in the morning. And usually after he got back from his missions he would make sure that the kids are away at his parents' house so that we could have time just for the two of us. You know what kind of a person Shino is but still he doesn't need to be overly romantic to show that he cared once in a while."

He pointed a finger towards himself and said, "And we, men really had to do those _things_ to prevent you…" the same finger pointed towards Ino's direction. "-women from lashing out at us for no reason? Aww c'mon, Ino. Do you think that men are willing to woo their wives on the bed without believing that it's definitely gonna end up with love-making?"

Ino dropped the dishes back into the sink and cried, "Okay. That's it! I'm feeling extremely sorry for Temari because she has an insensitive ass for a husband and I wonder how on earth did she ever manage to put up with you for how long…" She paused as her fingers were doing some calculating before her words spat back, "6 years?!"

"Seven," he corrected.

"At least you remembered how long you were married."

"Hey…what's that supposed to mean?"

"Shikamaru, I'm married too so I perfectly understand the emptiness or the feelings she's having. I think…all she ever wanted was just to be hold once in a while. She needs your time too. She can be the father and the mother to your kids when you're away but when you're back, can't you return her role as your wife? Women are strong and yet, fragile at times. Especially in front of the man she loves."

'Now, where have I heard it before?'

Ino blabbered on and on about a wife's need and desires and for that reason she was oblivious to the fact that Shikamaru was too deep in thoughts to listen to her exclusive lecture with him as her case study.

'_When was the last time you ever looked at your wife straight in the eyes and tell her how much you love her?' _

'_You guys had come along way to get where you are right now.' _Neji's words rang inside his head.

And then Ino's voice replayed once again._ '…all she ever wanted was just to be hold once in a while.'_

'_She can be the father and the mother to your kids when you're away but when you're back, can't you return her role as your wife?'_

"Hey Ino…"

"What?"

"I hate it when you really know what to say especially when I don't even know what to do myself."

Her eyebrows twitched within annoyance. "Excuse me, correct me if I'm wrong, but are you implying that I don't make sense a.k.a stupid most of the time?"

"Although it would've been in my favor to say 'yes' but if only to receive much more threatening terminologies and actually have to thank you for it, you know it'll be too troublesome." He ended his sentence with a smile on his face very much to Ino's infuriation.

"But still I wanna say thank you."

She was truly surprised but nevertheless couldn't help a laugh from breaking free out of her lips. "I hope you know what to do when Temari gets back, buddy. At least you owe me this much."

Even though he seemed not to be taking his former teammate seriously, he strictly understood in a sense, that his wife had done a lot for him but he was too dense to realize how much she might have gotten hurt along the way.

But now the problem was…

Where should he start?

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**_End Of Chapter 8_**

_To Be Continued…_

Next Chapter…

**_In Suna, complications were beginning to rise and the Kazekage had to make decisions that will test the love and strength of the women in his life; Aina's hidden feelings and Temari's strength as a wife and a mother._**

_**While in Konoha, Shikamaru's righteous intention had been misunderstood by Yoshino to the point that an awful accusation was made.**_

_**Will both of them be able to clarify their notions when it seemed that the whole world was turning their backs on them?**_

A/N: I hope to see you guys again in the next chapter and I really wish I still have my 'mojo'! (T-T) But you know how you can help me; by beating me to death….

Kidding!

But I know one thing that I wanna say: **Inspire me, everyone!**


	9. Truth

IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLES

By ardenilia

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns Uzumaki Naruto & Company.

Author's Note: My never-ending and endless gratitude to my readers and especially my lovely, lovely reviewers **KatelynDevine, suna-girl, itachisan77, Otakustone, GourdBreaker, Logophobia, LaZyEnErGeTiC, Atlantismonkey, cola-chan, OTRamble, Wind Scythe, The Flying Pen (does the pen really flies? XD), Tedabug, Natasha, MavisBeacon, arumira, Cashmeritan, Teddieox, ****BldCvrdKunoichi****, SerenityxAngel, andeellis, Lyneia, Kachina90, PinkYellowRoses2, Shikatema :3, Jomai, NoName, **and **Tsubomi. **And not forgetting **Lotos-eater** for your kindness. I really appreciate it with all my heart. You guys made the story lives. Thanks so much. Don't worry, I'll write longer chapters but for the mean time, please do accept this short and crappy chapter for now XD. It's just that time's moving faster, but so many things to do. But I will try my best to make my readers happy!

And this chapter is inspired by Yuna Ito's song, Truth.

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**Part 9 : Truth**

_**Suna…**_

The three siblings made a quick stop at the mansion for lunch, as Minako had insisted that they do so in the morning during breakfast. As soon as they reached home, Minako had already been waiting for them inside the dining room with the table all set.

"Tadaima, Mina." Kankurou greeted his wife as he planted a quick kiss on her cheeks earning a warm smile from the young medic nin in return.

"Okaeri…I hope everything went well at the office?"

The puppet controller sighed. "The usual stuffs. You know it, Mina." Minako laughed in response for she surely knew how much Kankurou hated talking about work stuffs at home.

Gaara took his usual seat, at the head of the table followed by Kankurou on his left and their sister on the other side. Looking so preoccupied, Temari didn't even realized that she was already sitting at the dining table and that both her brothers were looking at her in a very weird way.

'_What the hell is he doing here for? Kami-sama…this has already been too much. Something wrong is definitely happening right now. Why? Shika…what would you do if you were here?' _

"Temari…" Gaara called out to her in a straight tone but the glint in his marine-eyes failed to deny his worries. "Is something amiss?"

"Huh? What?"

Kankurou's forehead wrinkled in surprise. "You look horrible, Tem. What happened? Wait, did someon-"

She spat back before he could finish his words. "Nothing happened, Kankurou! It's not important. We're all tired, so let's just not talk about work or anything that could really piss me off right now!"

Gaara didn't know about Mitsurugi's pretense and it's better if it remained that way. Just for the time being. She already had a really hard time dealing with that scheming devil and having her siblings knew of her encounter with him last night would only be making things worst.

She winced in pain as the throbbing in her head returned ever since it disappeared the moment she left for Suna. Gaara noticed her discomforts and hurriedly placed a hand on her shoulder, "You should have some rest today, Temari."

"No, it's alright. I'll just take some meds afterwards and I'll be okay."

And that time a few helpers came and started to serve the foods on the table. The ever tasty and inviting aroma of the local delicacy wafted through the air, enticing any Suna native's senses but somehow, it brought up a very uncomfortable feeling to the former Sand dweller. "Oh God, what's this smell?" She quickly covered her nose, her breathe hitched and her shoulders heaved in quick shudders. Minako blinked at her sister-in-law. "But nee-chan, it's Chicken Sauté. It's your favorite right?"

"I never thought its smell is so god-awful. Get that thing away from m-Ugh." Her insides felt like being ripped and something was being pulled out of her stomach. A burning sensation tightened around her throat and she helplessly tried her best to hold it down.

Minako's expression was of worried at first but after a few seconds later, the looks on her face softened into something which is more relieved and perhaps, joyful.

"Hey…Tem. Are you sick or what?"

"It's…it's nothing. Are you worried about me, Kankurou?"

He snickered in faint disbelief. "Feh…Who ever that said I am?"

"I wonder how long you are going to keep this news from us, nee-chan…" Minako butted in, with a knowing look on her smiling face.

"What do you mean, Mina?" A quizzical look etched on her husband's face and also on his younger brother's as well.

"Gaara-sama, anata…it seems that we are going to become uncles and aunt once again"

"NANI??" Kankurou's mouth widened in sheer shock and his eyes looked like it was going to bulge out from his sockets, as Gaara looked at him with a slightly 'boring' look.

"Shut your mouth, Kankurou. Or, you're going to have sand for dinner." The red-haired Kazekage said in a monotonous tone despite the sudden surprise displayed within his serene eyes.

"Mina, how did you kn-…?"

"What? You really meant that the 'shadow freak' knocked her up, AGAIN?!"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic over this anata. Well nee-chan, I've noticed that you've been throwing up a lot since you got here. At first, I thought it was the food, but that was until I saw you in you room while you're looking at the mirror. You're acting like you're carrying 'something' in your tummy, then of course I put two and two together. Besides, I've been helping my dad at the clinic for years; such symptoms would not escape from a practicing medical nin you know"

"Well, heh…I think I just can't keep this thing away from you guys, huh?"

"Now, I think I want to salute that lazy-ass of a brother-in-law."

"And, may I ask why Kankurou?" The question came out from Gaara since he knew how Kankurou had, for eternity claimed that he 'hated' the shadow-guy for 'stealing' their sister away.

"He's lazy alright and I don't expect much from that ass. Now, I know that he's quite 'hardworking' at 'something'…eheh…He's the man."

Temari snapped in a futile attempt to hide the blushes that had started to creep on her cheeks. "Oh, shut up, Kank-uh." The next hit of nausea pushed her to run towards the nearest washroom.

"I just lost my appetite," he rolled his eyes as he saw his suffering sister's figure disappearing behind the door.

"Anata…stop it." Minako stared at her husband in disbelief. Kami-sama, he sure is immature at times.

However, despite all the conflicts and stressing situations, the good news seems like a breath of fresh air in the Kazekage's household.

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"I believe this is for the best of the village, Gaara-sama." Haruka crossed his arms as he fixed a gaze towards the red-haired Kazekage, hiding his smirk under the shawl that was covering the lower parts of his face.

"It's not that simple, Haruka."

"Would it not be in your favor then? After all, you barely knew each other and arranged marriages, from the experiences of the ones I know…would only bring trouble to young men like you. Young men who are still young and had so much to achieve in this world. Besides, this concerns the safety and future of the village. Better be wary and prudent than to be sorry later, Gaara-sama."

The young former Jinchuuriki took a deep breath before exhaling in a lethargic manner. "I hope this would not be a mistake."

"Oh, it most certainly won't."

The door was rapped hurriedly and Temari walked in as soon as she heard Gaara's voice muttering an approval from the inside. She needed to discuss with Gaara on the issue of "looks can be deceiving" and that not everyone can be trusted just as easily. And she realized that the closer Mitsurugi is to Gaara, the more complicated things will be and maybe, a lot of lives will be at stake. She understood perfectly how Mitsurugi's "Standard Operating Procedures" work; he won't mind sacrificing thousands of innocent lives just as long as he gets what he wants and Kami knows he wants A LOT. _Greedy, ungrateful bastard…_

"Gaara, I need to…" Her words trailed to an unexpected halt when the fact that the _greedy, ungrateful bastard _was also in the Kazekage room, registered to her mind.

"Temari-san…," Mitsurugi greeted her with that ever-annoying smug grin plastered on his pretentious face.

"What are you doing here?" Temari retorted back with a hint of disgust within her monotonous, cold tone and her steely eyes gazing guardedly against the slightly older man.

"Have you forgotten that Haruka is my advisor, Temari?"

_The Devil must've been laughing his head off right now._

At that moment, the golden-haired kunoichi knew things were already moving towards Mitsurugi's favor and it's gonna take a lot of guts to expose his scams to her youngest brother without any prove.

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_**Konoha…**_

He walked down the all-familiar path towards his parents' house; a place where he grew up as a thousand questions harassing his already-tired brain for almost a week now. The usual dinner routine at her mother's house had been reduced to two days from the seven and the rest five days would be spent with his friends or paying a visit to Ino's house either with Chouji or by himself. He felt that being in the company of his old teammates somewhat gave him a sense of composure.

Oh no, don't say that he didn't miss his own family, even more so his children. He missed them more than words can say, but having them running away from him every time he went to see them only made things worst. He felt like he had become a stranger even to his own flesh and blood but as funny at it seemed to be; the fearless Jounin who would stand unperturbed in front of an enemy now was too scared to even talk to his children. He was afraid that he will use the wrong selection of words and hurt them even more or that Hikaru and Kusanagi would tell him that they only want their mother and not their father anymore. In either way, one side would get hurt in the end.

There were only a few doors before he reached his destination when an ANBU appeared in front of him. "I'm sorry to disrupt your free time, Nara Shikamaru-sama but Rokudaime-sama needs you right now. I'm afraid he has some very unpleasant news."

_Oh great, more problems. Mendokuse._

He rushed towards the Hokage's office and found out that he wasn't the only one summoned. Kiba and Neji were already there, wearing the same worried expressions on their faces.

"Sorry I'm a little bit late. I rushed here as soon as I got the message."

The yellow-haired young Hokage nodded in understanding. "It's alright Shikamaru. The rest had actually got here a few seconds earlier. No worries. Now, I've just received a very unfortunate news. Shino's team of genins had arrived safely this morning from the mission at Mist but the problem is they arrived in Konoha…without Shino…" Naruto's eyes dropped in contemplation.

"You mean- he's M.I.A?" Kiba asked with shock vividly displayed on his face.

"Were they been attacked on their way? That's the only logical explanation considering that his students managed to get back to Konoha without him. Has anyone talked to them?" Neji spoke rather calmly and Naruto nodded his head in reply. "You couldn't been more right, Neji. They were under attacked by a group of wandering ninjas and Shino fended off the attacks and urged his students to make a quick, direct escape to Konoha and they were too worn out to turn back for Shino. That's why Kiba, I want you and Neji to gather a few Chuunins and scout the outskirts of the borders. If Shino's in trouble, he might need assistance from us. You may go now."

"Yes sir," both of them nodded in admission and disappeared in a flash, leaving only Shikamaru and the Hokage in the office.

"Shouldn't I go with them, Naruto?"

"No, I need you for another thing. And it's a harder task."

"You mean…"

"Yes, Shikamaru. You need to inform Ino of the news."

"But why me?"

"You're the only one with many experiences dealing with females; I mean psychologically and no once can handle a hysterical woman better than you do."

"Just because I am not seeing you smiling, doesn't mean I don't believe that you are making fun of me."

"No. I'm bloody serious."

"Mendokuse. Okay then. I'll go see her straight-away."

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He was a man of wits and there's no situation that he cannot handle professionally but right now, he just wished that somebody else would do the job instead of him. All he could do was stared helplessly at the crying woman in front of him, looking more vulnerable and more fragile than her usual demeanor. He felt the responsibility to soothe and comfort her as soon as she broke down when he relayed the news of Shino's sudden disappearance to her. After all, she had always been a great help to him albeit in her troublesome ways sometimes. But apparently, his silent contemplating had made her bursting to increase a decibel higher.

"The-the girls…what should I tell them? They'r-they're so young, I can't b-bear to see them heartbroken, Shika. And I don't know how I can survive without Shino…I don-don't know…" Ino muttered weakly between her weeping.

"I'm sorry about the news, Ino. But I want you to know that Chouji and I will always be here for you and your kids. Calm down, Ino. Please…"

"How the hell do you expect me to calm down when my husband might be stranded off somewhere and injured to top it off!" The flaxen-haired young woman screamed back at him, not realizing that one of the neighbors had already started to peek from the section of their gates. But Shikamaru was quick enough to understand that she will create an unwanted commotion within the neighborhood if he didn't do something about it.

"I need to be alone…"

"No. You need someone with you. I'm staying here."

"Go away, Shikamaru."

"I'm not letting you doing something stupid, Ino."

"JUST GO AWA-"

Shikamaru pulled her into a hug, causing her to shed tears once more. "Hey, you're my friend, no you're like my sister. There's no way I'm leaving you alone when you really need a shoulder to cry on. Although this is too troublesome but knock yourself out. Chouji will drop by soon and I don't want him to be upset with me because I'm not doing a great job in helping you."

"I'm sorry, Shika. I didn't mean to scream at you. But thank you."

"I should get you inside before your wailing disturbs the whole neighborhood. You sounded like a banshee just now you know."

"Stupid Shika!"

The two friends broke into a small unexpected laughter.

"I was just joking. At least, you can laugh now. That's a relief, huh?"

Unfortunately for Shikamaru, he was so worried of his former teammate's well-being that he didn't perceived that there was a lone figure watching him in denial, as he disappeared behind his friend's front door.

_I'm having a heart attack…_the mysterious figure muttered silently.

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_**Suna…..**_

She had a meeting with Lee, Tenten and Konohamaru outside the walls of the Kazekage late one afternoon. Much to her interest, some of the information reported had proven her doubts about Mitsurugi's devious plot. But she needed a concrete proof to show Gaara just how Mitsurugi had been planning to overthrow him from the Kage position all along. But among the group members, only she and Konohamaru knew exactly what Mitsurugi was scheming and for that matter, Temari felt pleased that she found an ally in the late Sandaime Hokage's grandson.

"_Temari-san...did that jerk harass you again just like last time?" Konohamaru asked composedly, after Lee and Tenten had made their way back to the mansion._

_Upon seeing the sincerity within the younger boy's black orbs, Temari couldn't find the heart to tell him off. Instead, she was touched that he even bothered to ask how she had been even though they were not close acquaintances to start with. "No, he did not, Konohamaru. But something tells me, he's getting bolder with his actions. I won't be surprised if he'll strike one of these days."_

_Konohamaru nodded in understanding. "I'll be watching your back, Temari-san. I'll help with anything that I can and right now, Mitsurugi is within my radar. I'll keep a lookout for his next dealings. I really want him to be dealt with since he's messing with a lot of people's lives."_

_A smile of admiration graced her lips upon hearing his words. 'Not many youngsters are as spirited as he is nowadays.' "You're pretty eager to get back to Konoha. Missing somebody already?"_

_The smart young Chuunin shook his head while laughing in return. "Nah, I want everyone…you, sensei and Tenten-san to get back safely to your families. That's all."_

"_Konohamaru, that's very nice of you."_

"_It's just that being a child, you would always want both of your parents to be near to you. I've lost almost everyone that I hold dear in my life when I was younger and I don't want the same thing to happen to the young children of Konoha."_

_Hearing his response had made Temari speechless. Up to the point of her, understanding the pain that he had endured when he was really, really young. She didn't want her children to go through the same situation._

'_Hikaru, Kusanagi…I promise I will come home as soon as possible.'_

She was walking along the halls of the administration building, hoping to find Kankurou in his office but as soon as she turn into a hallway, her paths crossed with a very familiar face.

"Aina-san, I didn't expect to see you here." She greeted the younger girl in a cheerful tone as well as with a smile on her face. Unfortunately, she was taken aback with the sight of the girl's flushed and tear-stricken face although she tried really hard to cover them by dropping her gaze lower. "Anou, is something wrong?"

"Uh…no, Temari-san. It's alright. I'm okay."

"You don't look okay to me."

"Nah…it's nothing. I think I better go now, Temari-san. I need to retire for today."

"Oh, alright. I'm sorry for keeping you away but take care. Maybe I can pay you a visit some time."

"That would be great, Temari-san. Have a nice day."

As soon as she watched the young girl walked away along with her guardians, Temari considered making a re-order of her destination. Instead of Kankurou's office, she headed towards Gaara's station in return. And she was glad when she found out that Gaara was all alone in his room, sitting restlessly near his working table.

"Hey…is everything alright?"

"…" No answer. Feh, same old Gaara.

"I just met Aina-san on my way here and if my instincts are correct, something's definitely wrong. Do you wanna talk to me about it? You're getting married to each other soon, you should be able to work things out together."

"There's not gonna be a wedding, Temari."

"What? I may be tired but that doesn't mean I lost my sense of hearing. What did you just say?"

"I've called the wedding off."

"Wha-Why? It's only within a few weeks time."

"It's for the best of the village."

"What do you mean, Gaara?"

"There's a possibility that this marriage was only proposed so that Iwa can take advantage of my position as the leader of Sunagakure."

"And where did you hear such nonsensical theory from?"

"I would never doubt Haruka's judgment. It took a long time for him to extract the information from Iwa."

"And you believe his lies? My God, this is not you making the decision, it's him! He's playing you all along. Why can't you listen to other people's point of view first before making such decisions? Do you even ask Aina-san how she feels about this?"

"She didn't seem to be affected by the resolution." His aqua eyes resonating an 'I couldn't care less' expression as he stared back at his older sister in response.

"Not affected? Gaara, when I saw her just now, she was obviously heartbroken."

"She was?"

"Even if this involves political issues, she does not deserve to be treated that way Gaara. Especially not from you."

There was a silent pause between the two siblings before the red-haired shinobi found the courage to ask, "What should I do now that things can't be undone, Temari?"

"There's nothing that explanation couldn't do. It might be hard but when you've told her how you exactly feel, you'll see that things could actually work out better in the end."

_Yeah, right back at you Temari._

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After Temari left the office late that afternoon, he wasted no time in making his way towards the royal inn where the noble guests and ambassadors to Suna would reside for a temporary stay. In the middle of his walk, he earned several surprising gazes from the villagers of Suna for never would the Kazekage been seen appearing in the streets of the village, without an escort nevertheless. He must've had something really important to do or someone important to see for he didn't care much about his safety in the open roads.

The royal guards standing vigil outside the main chamber was slightly shaken with the sudden arrival of the feared, young Godaime Kazekage. Both bowed in respect as one of them, the older one addressed him rather shakily, "Kazekage-sama…it is a surprise having your presence here. How can we be of service?"

His usual icy gaze moved from the door to the two keepers in front of him. "I need to see Kurosawa Aina from Iwa. Now."

"B-But, Kazekage-sama, Kurosawa-dono instructed us to not allow anyone to step beyond our post. She insisted on not having any visitors today or tomorrow."

"Are you defying my request, soldiers? As far as I'm concern, my orders precede over anyone within the borders of Sunagakure. I'm already in a foul mood, so don't be pushing your lucks today. I might just kill somebody for a release but you can help prevent that from happening if you just let me pass through."

Both of them cowered in fear. "We're truly ashamed of ourselves, Kazekage-sama. We shouldn't be questioning you of your rights. Our lives are for your disposal. Please, do proceed forward."

The corners of his lips raised into a smirk as fast as it disappeared. They really still believe he would kill them for no apparent reason. He would thank Temari later on for the tips. "Thank you. Now, I think it would be better if the two of you could take a break somewhere very, very far."

"I beg your pardon, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara tried very hard not roll his eyes in helplessness. Man, these royal subjects are so 'polite'…no… 'dense' is the better term. "Can you just get the hell away from here? I need to talk to my fiancée privately."

"Aah…gomen, gomen. We understand." They nodded in consideration and they disappeared hurriedly even before Gaara had the chance to 'make their lives hell' again.

He knocked on the door once and waited for a reply but somehow, there were only silence. He could hear his own heartbeat thundering within his chest and right now he already feel like regretting the decision to come here. What should he say? How can he face her after what he had told her before? The look on her face when he told her that he's breaking off the engagement was still vividly emblazoned in his mind.

Inside the dimly-lit room, he saw the outline of her back as she stood at the veranda. The raven tresses are now tied into two even ponytails, swaying gently to the rhythm of the strong blowing summer breeze.

"Aina…"

Her body stiffened upon hearing his voice. He could see that she was wiping her face with the sleeves of her maroon-colored yukata before tilting her head to the side, glancing warily at her guest. "Gaa-Gaara-sama? I'm very sorry but I'm not ready to see you right now."

"I will leave if you want me too but please hear me out just this one more time," he said with hope within his eyes and his heart. 'If only you could turn around and let me see your face. Even if this is for the last time.' Unfortunately, a minute passed by but still they were being enveloped in an eerie stillness. "Aina…when I made the decision to break off this engagement, I believed that it was the best for all sides. I thought that I'm doing you a favor by letting you free from such political mess. It is my responsibility to protect my village, my people."

"How could you-How come you would even think that my father is trying to take advantage of this marriage and plotting with the Tsuchikage to take over Sunagakure? He's a very good man and I know my father very well. My father would never do such things. He didn't even force me into this. I chose to be with you out of my own free-will."

"But you must've had someone you already love and would want to be with. I don't have the right to hold you back from your own happiness."

She turned her petite figure around and faced the towering figure of the fomer Jinchuuriki. "Love? If you really want to know….Yes, I already had someone that I love with all my heart-"

He didn't know for what reason but the moment he heard that sentence from her, he felt like a part of him died straight-away.

"-And I know my happiness lies with him. But what if he was the one who refused to give me a chance? He's pushing me away from his life and he still said that he didn't deserve the right to give me my happiness? And if I were to share my life together with him, shouldn't we be making decisions together?"

He couldn't hide the surprise on his face when the truth dawned upon his head.

_She loves him._

_But he didn't deserve a person with such perfection. He truly had no idea whether he will be able to make her happy._

"You're mistaking love with compassion, Aina."

"Stop it, stop this now. And listen to what I have to say."

He never had another person who dared to talk back to him in such way, in exception of Temari of course. Conversely he was amazed and thrilled with the girl's sudden outburst.

"I may not know you that much in person but I have heard of who is the cold-blooded Sabaku no Gaara and what he had done in his childhood and why he was feared by all five shinobi nations. But that didn't trigger fear within me…I want to know you, what happened to you when you were young and somehow, I found the answer. Gaara-sama, do you know I have a wish? A really impossible wish, I might say."

"…"

"I wish that I could turn back time and I would've known you earlier, when we both were still children so that you wouldn't feel so lonely and I would be there whenever you need someone and I could've spend time with you just a little bit longer. And maybe you wouldn't push me away from your life just like now. I truly do, want to be your 'someone'."

"Aina…" No words can be used to describe the whirlpool of emotions within him. It felt strange. It felt weird. But it made him feel…sad. "It's just that right now, I have so many things happening and I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to face this. I really don't want to drag you into my problems. Things are…complicated." His well-built, tall figure dropped gently on the edge of the four-post bed. He didn't care if he looked weak in the eyes of the woman who was standing right in front of him. He's already tired of acting like the so-called 'heartless Gaara of the Sands'. He just wanted to be him for a change.

He buried his weary face in his hands, resting all his weight on his knees. Hoping that the Lord would give him just a little bit more strength in getting through this mess.

A pair of warm, gentle hands touched his tense shoulders although they seem to be reluctant at first. As he looked up, he saw her…up close and tangible. Her violet orbs glittered with unshed tears. "I don't know why it's so hard for us to live our lives the way we want it to be."

He dropped his head with regret when he realized just how wrong he had been before; that he would make their lives easier by breaking up something that hasn't even started yet without giving it a chance. "…"

"Ne…anata…" The smooth skin of her palm brushed against his jaw line and he felt her warmth seeped through his very soul when she lifted his head back up. "Married or not, that would never stop me from loving you." She gave him a choice and space. He could push her away if he wanted but instead, he delved deeper into her awaiting embrace, knowing that she was the 'strength' that the Lord had blessed him with from the start. The tears that she had been holding flowed freely as her hands swept his red hair in tenderness.

At last……

He had found love.

He had found someone to care for.

He had found someone to call his own.

And she would be the person he would come home to until the day he die.

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_**Konoha…..**_

Yoshino paced agitatedly across the living room. The letter inside her hand was gripped rather tightly for her own comfort. Her motherly instincts had been holding her back from doing something she will regret to her own son but that didn't stop her from bursting out in anger when he accused her of being paranoid.

"Paranoid? Do you even care to read what she wrote to you?" In blind rage, Yoshino threw the letter straight at Shikamaru's chest, receiving a confused look to the already jaded expression on her son's face. "Tell me, should I just close my eyes and pretended that everything is alright when you're cheating on her behind her back!"

"Mom! What the hell…Where on earth did you ever get such crazy ideas from?"

"I saw you yesterday at the Yamanaka girl's house. Now don't deny it."

"I'm not denying th-"

"You did not sleep at your house last night, Shikamaru. Interestingly, I found out that her husband had been away on a mission, the same goes for your wife. Everything seemed so convenient isn't it? For the last two weeks, you haven't been spending time with your own children, but you've certainly wouldn't mind 'lending some company' for another woman's children…Even when your kids had been asking for you."

He was, beyond doubt bemused with his own mother's allegation. "That is so absurd. Mom, I had been spending each and every night at the office, doing paperwork. Mendokuse. Ino's my best friend. I would never do something so troublesome like cheating on my wife or having an affair with my own best friend."

"And apparently, your 'friendship' had been troubling Temari very, very much. Why is she feeling insecure of your own marriage if not because of it?"

"That's the problem. I don't know!" The plum-haired Jounin released a very heavy sigh from within. Things had become waaaay too worst and problematical.

"So, you're not seeing someone now?"

"Of course not!" he retorted back in disbelief.

"So, do you still love your wife?"

"Of course I do!" _This is getting him nowhere._

"….You're not sleeping around with another woman right?"

"Mom!!!"

He sighed, again for that day. This is gonna take one whole day.

_Temari…come back home please……_

_**End Of Chapter 9**_

_To Be Continued…_

Next Chapter…

_**Some people love and tend to be selfish for their own reasons.**_

_**Each and every one of them are being selfish up to the point where they rather see their beloved suffer or risking everything, even their own lives so they could be with the person they love once again.**_

_**There's a fine line between love, selfishness & obsession.**_

_**Gaara loves his sister very much and he rather see her suffer than risking her and her unborn children's life;**_

_**Temari would even go to the ends of the world just as long as she can return back to the man that she loves forever. Even if it meant Death will be waiting in the middle;**_

_**While Haruka's obsession will rob a family of its happiness.**_

_**And after all that happens, will each and every one of them received the ending that they deserved? **_

A/N: After 5 months of withdrawal, this is the best I could do with my restricted time. I'm very sorry everyone. I would motivate myself to keep on writing and writing for not only my own satisfaction but yours as well. Till next chapter, dears. Take care.

Love,

ardenilia


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